How not to be a dick when you get a book deal 😉
Apologies for the slightly tongue-in-cheek title for this post, but it was one of those ideas that just popped into my head randomly when I was walking home the other day and I thought – yes! I have a LOT to say on that subject!
I’d like to start this with a caveat. I believe, deep down in my bones, that most people are inherently good people doing the best with what they have.
I generally believe that shitty behaviour is the product of their past, and that we should try not to judge people too harshly for being, well, dicks. Much dickishness comes from insecurity, I’ve found.
I also know that striving to get a book published takes its toll – it takes SO long to get any kind of traction or interest in the publishing industry, and therefore when you do start to see doors opening, it’s very easy to lose all perspective and start believing that you’re the best thing since sliced bread.
Added to that, the job by its nature makes writers feel pretty insecure and disposable, so when you get even a small sniff of success, it’s not particularly surprising that you want to cling onto it with all your might, in case someone sneaks up from behind and snatches it off you.
If that sounds a bit like I’m talking about children in a playground, then yes, it’s deliberate.
“Being a professional author does somewhat turn you into a needy, insecure child”
I feel like social media also has a hand to play in this. I’m old enough to remember when ‘showing off’ was seen as a Bad Thing. I think if 19-year-old me could see the way we talk about ourselves online now, she’d be horrified and think we all need taking down a few hundred pegs.
I remember when I used to add #humblebrag to my Twitter posts as a sort of get-out-of-jail-free-card whenever I retweeted some praise. I was cringing so hard inside, but I knew that being a wallflower on the platform wouldn’t get me anywhere.
Social media is a crowded, noisy space, and you really have to shout loud to be heard. I don’t blame people for celebrating their success online. Of course I don’t.
But some people (naming no names, obvs) do seem to take things too far and perhaps lose sight of how they appear to others.
So, here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re shouting about your book deal.
I see all these points as ways to be a good citizen of the industry. What I love the most about the publishing world is that on the whole, other writers are so supportive, and pleased to celebrate each other’s successes.
Remember that most success in publishing is down to luck
OK so here’s something else I strongly believe: no one rubbish ever gets a book deal.
To be offered a contract by a publishing house, you must have written something REALLY GOOD. Something worthy of being published. The stakes are insanely high and the competition is fierce.
However, by the same token, because of this, there are SO many books that don’t get published that are JUST AS GOOD as the ones that do.
And the main reasons that one book is picked up over another is usually down to luck and timing. The book went out on submission and was exactly what the editor at that publishing house was looking for, or you’ve captured the zeitgeist and managed to pitch it at the exact right time for the industry.
It doesn’t mean your book is better than any of the hundreds of books your editor turned down that year. I think it’s really important to remember this, and not get too smug about your success, or think you are somehow ‘better’ than other writers.
Further down the line, the same thing goes for books that become bestsellers, or get optioned for film, or translated into many languages. These books will undoubtedly be brilliant, but the ones that DON’T achieve these things aren’t not brilliant. They just haven’t hit the market at the right time, or haven’t been supported in the right way.
Also, if a book does well, that’s usually more down to the way the book has been published than the book itself. The energy, focus and determination in the team behind its publication can make or break a book’s success.
And while they don’t always like to admit it, publishers certainly do pick particular books to push each season (their ‘superlead’ title) and invariably these are the ones they’ve paid a lot of money for, so they are the ones you’ll see stocked in every supermarket and bookshops across the land.
I think it’s always a good idea to keep this in mind if you are one of the lucky authors, and try not to believe your own hype.
Stay modest and be grateful!
How I deal with professional jealousy as a writer →
Don’t gatekeep
The publishing industry is a small world full of people who mostly know each other. If you can offer a leg up to someone on the outside, or a way in to someone with no contacts, then you should do so.
I’m a huge fan of abundance mentality, and I really believe that sharing your success is the right thing to do, leading to more opportunities for everyone. Publishing is not a zero-sum game.
So if you can help people to achieve their dreams in any small way, then do so. Don’t be tight-fisted and try to keep people out.
There are lots of ways you can ‘pay it forward’. If you have time, offer to mentor other authors. If not, just being friendly and approachable on social media can be really helpful to up and coming writers who might have questions about the industry.
You remember what it was like to be starting out and what a minefield it all was right? It can really feel as though the walls around publishing are designed to keep as many people out as possible, so try to break them down where you can.
Don’t just blurb upwards
This is something I’ve noticed a lot of authors do, right when they first get a tiny bit of success.
Suddenly, they’re no longer interested in hanging out with the small guys who are ‘below’ them on their journey, but their entire focus is on cultivating relationships with people who are more successful.
I’m not naïve, I know it’s the same in every industry, but very obvious social-climbing like this really gets my goat!
I’ve heard stories of authors who befriend people deliberately to glean as much information about them and their book deals as possible, then drop them once they are no longer of ‘use’, or if their books don’t perform as expected.
Not only is this really hurtful, it’s actually pretty insidious. Try not to push other people down when you’re on the way up. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Don’t attack other authors online
There was some drama on social media a few years ago when a successful author accused another author of copying their cover. They were incandescent because the new author was being published by the same company, and they started a rant about it online.
Not only was it really ugly to see something like that played out in public, it was also really unfair on the other author.
As an established author, they knew that the author with the similar cover wouldn’t have had much of a say over their cover design (as this decision is almost always taken by the publisher). They also knew that it’s super common for publishers to copy the look and feel of successful book covers, in the hope that readers who enjoyed the original book will be tempted to pick up the new one.
I agree it’s maybe not a nice thing, but publishing is a business, and that’s how businesses work.
And so it was really unnecessary to draw attention to it publicly and try to make the new author look culpable in some way.
Needless to say, it massively backfired, and the new author got a ton of support and loads of pre-orders (see, most writers are NOT dicks and can spot dickish behaviour a mile off!).
But I’m always so mystified when I see authors criticising other authors in public! I mean, god, the industry is hard enough already, we should have each other’s backs all the time!
So even if you hated someone’s book, or you don’t really like the writer, or you disagree with their political beliefs, follow that age-old, helpful mantra, as immortalised by the iconic Thumper in Bambi: if you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.
Treat publishing staff with respect
I’ve never worked in book publishing, but I’ve still heard some real horror stories from people who do about the way some authors treat publishing staff.
I cannot tell you how angry this makes me.
Publishing is a difficult industry, but no one who works in publishing went into it to get rich. They went into it because they love books and they want to support authors and help ensure their work is read.
That’s not to say there aren’t huge issues with publishing as an industry. But the publishing individuals we deal with on a daily basis are not to blame.
They are as much cogs in the system as the writers themselves, and nothing hurts my heart more than hearing of authors bullying, abusing or disrespecting their publishing colleagues.
Unfortunately, some authors become so ‘big’ that publishers are forced to put up with this behaviour. It makes me uncharacteristically furious.
Treat people with respect, always.
Don’t treat your agent like your therapist
Of course, your agent’s job is to guide your career and make sure that you are happy with how things are going.
However, I think it’s important to remember that your relationship with them is a business, not a personal, one. They’re not your therapist! Don’t overload them with information about your personal life. Don’t text them outside business hours. Don’t shout at them if things go wrong.
Aside from anything else, people do change agents all the time in this business, and do you really want your agent to know all about your cheating ex-husband when they no longer represent you?
I love my agent – I do consider her a friend – but I also try to maintain professional boundaries when I’m dealing with her, and recognise that she has a life outside publishing (as, hopefully, do I! Sometimes at least 😆).
To finish up, here are a few short but sweet rules that are also good to bear in mind:
Don’t pester people to leave you Amazon reviews
Don’t constantly post about your book on social media and nothing else - make sure you engage with other writers, and share their books too!
Don’t ignore comments from your readers on social media. You would literally be nothing without them - be grateful for their time
Don’t complain about bad reviews in public. Go ahead and moan to your author friends at length, but do it privately!
Be honest about your publishing journey. Don’t pretend the first book you got published was the first book you wrote (unless it actually was 😂)
