The Publisher And The Writer

• Signing a contract can be a cause for celebration, but there may be regrets later.
• As a publisher you often only return to them when something has gone wrong and you need to get out of the contract. 
• The contract is a legal document, but connection and communication are what make the author-publisher relationship work. 
• There is often a power imbalance.
• Rights in contracts; what is the publisher being assigned by the writer; ANZ rights, English-speaking rights, Commonwealth rights.
• Format rights, book, ebook, audiobook, extracts, film and TV and translation rights. The different sizes of books, and hardback and softback.
• Many companies now create their own audiobooks, but others sell those rights on. 
• Length of contracts, some have finiste terms, most remain whilst a book is in print.
• Sunset clauses.
• Royalties are usually 10% of RRP, but that can be altered for books that sell in big numbers, these are called rises.
• Pros and cons of advances, and how often advances are earned out. Why we prefer lower or no advances.
• Beware of contracts from companies that help writers self publish. Can be grossly unfair.
• Discussion about ebook royalties, usually 25% of net receipts. 
• Royalties stay at 10% of RRP even when bookshops do deep discounts.
• Bulk book orders sometimes paid at 25% of net receipts; the pros of being entrepreneurial as a publisher.

In Australia: Going Under is available in bookshops and online stores in Australia and on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

Going Under Audiobook: Going Under on Audible, narrated by Seana Smith, click here.

Going Under on Spotify: Listen to Going Under on Spotify here.

Jane Curry Links

• Jane Curry Advisory: www.janecurryadvisory.com
• Ventura Press: www.venturapress.com.au
• www.instagram.com/venturapress__

Seana Smith Links

• Seana Smith website: www.seanasmith.com
• Sober Journeys website: wwwsoberjourneys.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/swoop/blue-sea License code: JIDFICQZAHSVHXUS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Editing books is the topic of this podcast, and it’s a vast one. Jane explains the three major types of editing: 

• The structural edit
• The line edit aka copy edit
• Proofreading 

This is a deep dive on best practices, working with the right editor, the editor’s skill set. You will learn what to expect from an editor and how to ensure that you and your editor work well together. 

We also discuss the issues in the digital era with version control and making sure that the right final manuscript that is published. 

Jane chats about contemporary books which take out all punctuation and the pace that gives. Role of the publisher in making changes to the manuscript, before the structural edit. 

We chat about the close relationship between writers and editors and the trust needed. The pitfalls of finding an editor online and not investing in a good editor. 

There’s advice about avoiding vanity presses and about taking time with your writing and the editing process. 

Books mentioned:

Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss

Going Under by Seana Smith

Institute of Professional Editors

Kim Kelly - author

In Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

Going Under Audiobook: Going Under on Audible, narrated by Seana Smith, click here.

Jane Curry Links

• Jane Curry Advisory: www.janecurryadvisory.com
• Ventura Press: www.venturapress.com.au
• www.instagram.com/venturapress__
• www.instagram.com/janecurry1

Seana Smith Links

• Seana Smith website: www.seanasmith.com
• Sober Journeys website: wwwsoberjourneys.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/swoop/blue-sea

License code: JIDFICQZAHSVHXUS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode explores and explains the two parts of selling books. Selling in covers publishers and distributors selling books into bookshops in advance of publiscation. Selling through covers the books actually being sold into the hands of readers via bookshops. 

• The importance of the month of publication, once that is set it cannot move. 
• Everything works backwards from the publication month.
• Book reps (representatives) visit bookshops, large and small, and sell the book to them. 
• Larger sales into larger shops is discussed and the value of being in bookshop catalogues. 
• Why ‘spine out’ is not what you want.
• Bookshops receive the books and then they are the ones doing the actual selling to customers. 
• The value of advance reading copies (ARCs).
• Online booksellers respond to demand, but do not create it.
• Pros and cons for pre-orders, who tends to do well with that. 
• Sell through of books is crucial in first month or two. 
• Returns are just a part of the book business. 
• Every book has a life cycle. 
• Visits to bookshops are terrific for authors, once book is stocked. 
• Covers are crucial, a good one makes a difference. 
• What is RRP?
• How to keep sales going? Be an energetic author. 

Jane Curry Links

• Jane Curry Advisory: www.janecurryadvisory.com
• Ventura Press: www.venturapress.com.au
• www.instagram.com/venturapress__
• www.instagram.com/janecurry1

Seana Smith Links

• Seana Smith website: www.seanasmith.com
• Sober Journeys website: wwwsoberjourneys.com
• www.instagram.com/seanasmith
• www.instagram.com/sober_journeys

In Australia: Going Under is available in bookshops and online stores in Australia and on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

Going Under Audiobook: Going Under on Audible, narrated by Seana Smith, click here.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/swoop/blue-sea

License code: JIDFICQZAHSVHXUS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• Quick chat about what we’ve been up to in our daily writing and publishing work.
• The prequel to writing is reading great books, and learning from them.
• Deciding what to write, asking yourself what you love to read. 
• Finding out what is popular and what might sell, the joys of loitering in bookshops.
• The importance of understanding genres in fiction especially. Know your genre!
• Literary fiction versus genre fiction and the blurred edges.
• Writing is a craft and can be taught and learned. 
• Seana lists some of the courses done in creative non-fiction.
• Discussion about creative writing post-grad courses and PhDs.
• Writing tips: getting started and keeping going.
• Writing first draft is one thing but the editing often takes far longer. 
• The importance of the opening lines. 

Links for this week’s podcast can be found in the show notes.

Jane Curry Links

• Jane Curry Advisory: www.janecurryadvisory.com
• Ventura Press: www.venturapress.com.au
• www.instagram.com/venturapress__
• www.instagram.com/janecurry1

Seana Smith Links

• Seana Smith website: www.seanasmith.com
• Sober Journeys website: wwwsoberjourneys.com
• www.instagram.com/seanasmith
• www.instagram.com/sober_journeys
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/whatdidyoureadtoday/

In Australia: Going Under is available in bookshops and online stores in Australia and on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

Going Under Audiobook: Going Under on Audible, narrated by Seana Smith, click here.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/swoop/blue-sea

License code: JIDFICQZAHSVHXUS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we discuss a range of topics pertinent to aspiring authors, from differentiating between types of publishing (trade, educational, and self-publishing) to the process and challenges of handling unsolicited manuscripts. Jane shares insights into the evolving landscape of publishing, the digital transformation, and offers practical advice for writers seeking to get their manuscripts noticed. 

• We use the term unsolicited manuscripts these days, and it is a good time to be sending them in. Publishers do not want to miss out.
• Aspiring writers are seen as an opportunity for publishers. However, the reality is there are few spots each month for new writers. 
• How Jane manages unsolicited manuscripts at ventura and the sticky issue of whether publishers send rejection emails, or just don’t bother. 
• Seana’s experiences of sending in unsolicited factual book pitches. 
• Jane discusses the opportunities that arise when publishers build a new list. 
• How to keep up to date with the traditional publishing companies. 
• The importance of sending submissions exactly to the publishing companies’ specifications. 
• Agents in the USA versus other parts of the world. 
• Virginia Lloyd’s service to help polish an agent pitch.
• Seana and Jane’s experience of literary speed dating as writer and publisher. 
• The skill of managing rejection and writer self-care.
• Strategies for sending out manuscripts and pitches to agents and publishers.
• Routes from self-publishing to traditional publishing.

People and websites mentioned

Virginia Lloyd - Lloyd Literary

In Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

Going Under Audiobook: Going Under on Audible, narrated by Seana Smith, click here.

Jane Curry Links

• Jane Curry Advisory: www.janecurryadvisory.com
• Ventura Press: www.venturapress.com.au
• www.instagram.com/venturapress__

Seana Smith Links

• Seana Smith website: www.seanasmith.com
• Sober Journeys website: wwwsoberjourneys.com

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/swoop/blue-sea License code: JIDFICQZAHSVHXUS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we take a tour of the publishing landscape in the English speaking world.

Check out the biggest to the smallest traditional publishers to see where your book might fit in. 

We discuss the following publishing companies, with stories of how they operate, which ones use their own sales representatives and which use distribution companies. 

• Examples of books and publishing within these companies are given from our own experience. 
• The Big Five - histories and who runs them here in Australia
• Independent companies
• Small boutique presses
• University Presses

Find links to all the companies mentioned by clicking through to the show notes on the website.

Also discussed are:

Australian Society of Authors is www.asauthors.org

Australian Publishers Association is www.publishers.asn.au

We discuss the impact of COVID on sales of books here in Australia, and the downsides of that and then the more recent contraction of the publishing industry here. 

In Australia: Going Under is available in bookshops and online stores in Australia and on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

Going Under Audiobook: Going Under on Audible, narrated by Seana Smith, click here.

Jane Curry Links

• Jane Curry Advisory: www.janecurryadvisory.com
• Ventura Press: www.venturapress.com.au
• www.instagram.com/venturapress__

Seana Smith Links

• Seana Smith website: www.seanasmith.com
• Sober Journeys website: wwwsoberjourneys.com
• www.instagram.com/seanasmith

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/swoop/blue-sea

License code: JIDFICQZAHSVHXUS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet the co-hosts, Jane Curry of Jane Curry Advisory and Ventura Press, and Seana Smith, her latest book is the memoir ‘Going Under.’

We chat about:

• What we’ve been doing lately in our publishing and writing lives.
• Jane on her love of books with purpose.
• Jane Curry Advisory ‘I’ve always been a bit of an evangelist.’
• Being on the idside and the outside of publishing. 
• Seana on factual writing and creative non-fiction, the huge differences between them.
• Recording the audiobook and author care. 
• Seana's first book ‘Sydney for Under Fives’ commissioned by Jane when she worked at Pan Macmillan. 
• Jane commissioning the Australian Autism Handbook in 2007, now in 4th edition. 
• Being an entrepreneur as well as writer. Writing commercial websites. 
• Leaning into the new digital ecosystem. 
• Massive changes in the publishing world, the rise of self-publishing. 
• Our backgrounds, Jane from Yorkshire and Seana from Scotland. 
• Jane’s long career in publishing, working for independents, the Big Five and then for her own company Ventura Press for the past 20 years. 
• Seana went to Oxford then a career in television, before kids and freelance writing. 
• What to expect in this 10-part series and beyond. A complete guide to the publishing industry and writing books that get published. 

Links

• Seana Smith website: www.seanasmith.com
• Sober Journeys website: wwwsoberjourneys.com
• Jane Curry Advisory: www.janecurryadvisory.com
• Ventura Press: www.venturapress.com.au
• www.instagram.com/janecurry1
• www.instagram.com/seanasmith
• www.instagram.com/venturapress__
• www.instagram.com/sober_journeys
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/whatdidyoureadtoday/

In Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the USA: https://www.amazon.com/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

In the UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Going-Under-memoir-secrets-addiction/dp/0645497231/

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/swoop/blue-sea

License code: JIDFICQZAHSVHXUS

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Check out the trailer for the new podcast from Jane Curry and Seana Smith.

Join The Publisher & The Writer for our first series of 10 episodes. We'll demystify the writing and publishing business and support you on your creative journey.

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/mark-july/today-is-the-day

License code: K79OEY7K6QBX2TDR

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.