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Sarah Malarkey, Executive Editor, Chronicle Books
March 26, 2006 — 6:30-8 p.m
Sarah has two sons, 3 and 5. She has been in publishing for 15 years, most of the time with Chronicle Books. She has a degree from Columbia and was offered her first job in publishing from author Po Bronson. Her pay: $0. But she learned! She has risen up the ranks at Chronicle from editorial assistant to executive editor.
Her best-selling books at Chronicle have been: The Beatles Anthology, Griffin & Sabine, and the Worst-Case Scenario books.
Psst. . .Helpful Hint to Writers: Always make friends with editorial assistants. They can be very powerful and hold great sway with editors. Plus, one day, they may be the editors.
Great quote: What makes a good editor are the things that mothers do. An editor has to be a good shrink, mother and father to a writer.
About Chronicle Books
Chronicle Books is different than a New York City publisher. We can bring on little books that can go on and do well.
Chronicle isn't interested in romance, sci-fi or prison stuff. Doesn't do a lot of fiction, which should be agented.
But non-fiction does not need to be (agented) and can be e-mailed directly to Chronicle Books. This house does a lot of visual, high-end coffee table books, ones on pop culture and big commercial books.
Chronicle publishes 150 books a year. We're an adult trade publisher.
Do You Need a Platform to Sell a Book?
Platforms can be overrated. (A platform is a following that a writer may have, via publicity, prior books, established expertise in a field, published articles, a Website, and/or a blog.) Chronicle may be one of the few publishers that don't require that an author already have a platform if they have a really great book idea. It's fine to write a book without a platform. But sometimes you do need a platform.
The Importance of Blogs
Blogs are good if you have a certain shtick. People can link to you, can connect. Blogs are becoming increasingly important platforms for authors. They are a way to create a presence for an author
The Acquisition Process
I receive manuscripts from a slush pile, random, unsolicited, agented, and packaged.
One of the most pleasurable books I worked on was Office Yoga. It sold about 300,000 to 400,000 copies. With most books, I'm happy to sell 15,000 to 30,000 copies, mid-list.
I go to the editorial meeting (where books are pitched by the editors, rejected and bought), get a plan together, sales and marketing are there, we say yes, no, what season will it be published, where will it be sold? Is it independent stores, chains like Barnes & Noble, or specialty stores like Crate & Barrel? We try to find where it will sell best.
Then I tell the author, yeah, we're going to buy it. Then I meet with the production person to set a price and schedule it and figure out what I want to pay for it.
An author turns in her manuscript and the developmental editor might say the tone is off. She sees the big picture. Then it goes through copy editing, proofreading, design, we get galleys, proofs, and it's sold (to the public).
It takes a year to publish after receiving the manuscript.
Non-fiction is easier to sell than fiction and you make more money. Visual books do well. We think of the title and the concept and wonder how it might be illustrated. Then we really shape it.
As an editor I consider three things:
1. Content
2. Audience
3. Author
I think of those things with every book. Every decision I make about a book is reinforced through this triangle.
During the pitching process, I think of the triangle (author, content, audience), I think of it that way. I think about where will it be on the book shelves?
Think about your audience. Think about the content. Is the book a girly, you go girl! kind of book? Or is it more technical? Where do they shop?
We think a lot about price points. If it's for a baby boomer, they have more money and more affluence. Is it an impulse buy? Is it for a girlfriend? Will it make her laugh or cry?
We talk about table of contents, a market analysis. For a knitter's book, how much yarn is sold each year? How will I get this book to knitters?
The format is important. How do the images work together? Creating a book is like conducting a symphony. Working with designers is part of it, too.
With an impulse book, you need the title for certain books. We'll think of the cover design. Often times we have an audience in mind and we'll back into it. You think, can I sell it? When it's not titled, it's hard to edit. What is this?
For first-time authors, if I like the idea, but don't know about the writing, there are ways to protect you as a publisher.
If an author comes in with a good title (and a good proposal) but I get a bad manuscript, can I afford to hire someone to help them? It's a big risk, but I can pay an advance in thirds or very little on signing. . .
Payments: Advances and Royalties
We offer a fair advance. An author says, "How can I do that for $20,000?" Then we both try to come to a place where we're happy.
We talk about rights, world rights, sub-rights and then we strike a deal. It can take six to 12 months to write a book.
Royalties - (the percentage of the book's sales price that an author will receive), generally, 10% hardcover, with possible escalators, (financial incentives when certain sales are met); 7.5% on paperback.
Agent Advice
When you approach an agent, if you get rejected, ask for feedback.
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