What will authoring look like in the (not too distant) future?

Most of our blog posts have been about Creative Byline, but we see ourselves as just one example of many technological shifts that have had–and will continue to have–a dramatic impact on book publishing. Here are a few thoughts on one of those shifts:

Over the past month I’ve had a few “aha” moments regarding technology and books (or perhaps “content” is the right term):

• Reading books on handheld devices is here to stay. Besides the popular (and upcoming 2.o release) of the Amazon Kindle, Sony has announced that they will make their Reader Digital Book compatible with the e-pub standard. Then Apple launched their iTunes App Store for the new 3G phone and the iTouch. One of the most popular free apps (from Fictionwise, Inc.) is a reader that allows eReader-compatible books to be read on the go. Also, PlasticLogic has recently announced a 8½” x 11” screen reader, directed towards the business user. These devices–at least the Kindle and the iPhone—are filled with powerful technologies (internet access, speakers, video and photo storage), but, whichever of the plethora of readers you use, you get nothing but digitized of ink and paper. Ho hum.
• Multimedia properties (book/web/mobile/chat/ring-tone/downloadable/IM) seem to be getting some attention; the biggest I’ve seen recently was the launch of Scholastic’s The 39 Clues. Another example is a series of made-for-mobile-phone video episodes adapted from a story in Stephen King’s forthcoming collection.  Add to this the formation of 4th Story Media by Lisa Holton (former president of Scholastic’s Trade Publishing and Book Fairs), and I expect to see more multimedia storytelling (and not just children’s books). I spoke with a couple of Creative Byline’s publisher clients; they concur that we will see more multimedia, but these projects are complex and costly.

So, on one hand you have powerful electronic devices that simply mimic static pages of a book, and on the other hand very complex (and expensive) multi-media sites developed by programmers and content experts. 

Here’s my question: Does anyone know of good examples of book/content between these two extremes? Perhaps content of a book that has been developed to take advantage of the technology power of a sophisticated hand-held device? A book created with snippets of imbedded video, audio, links; or perhaps pages that slowly erase the text, like words written in sand at the beach as the waves slowly roll over them.
You get the picture. 

What’s out there right now?  And what will authoring look like in the future to take full advantage of the power of handheld devices?

–Brad

“I am a total fan of your site”

We’re happy to be getting confirmation (like the one above from Peter G. from Oregon) that the Creative Byline process is doing exactly what we’d intended: helping writers find publishers and present to them their best work. These comments from Creative Byline members tell the story: 

Keith M, from Illinois, said, “I am very pleased with the Creative Byline experience.  I’d like to thank whoever my first reader was. That reader was impressed by my chapters and gave great encouragement as ‘clearly having a gift of language.’”

Carolyn S, from Alberta, Canada, said, “Just a note to tell you how delighted I am with the constructive, helpful, and friendly advice from your first reviewer.”

Carol V, from Michigan, said, “This is to say how fantastic and HELPFUL your service is! …Not only did the critique come back blazingly fast—I finally have helpful professional specific advice regarding tweaks and changes I should make. You have no idea how truly helpful your service is with constructive criticism! Yet—even while I was given suggested changes and a solid critique, I was also given very encouraging comments.”

Den G, from Connecticut, said, “In the two reviews I received, I learned tremendously valuable techniques from my reviewer/editor…. S/he always balances the constructive criticism with the positive aspects of my work. I just thought you should know what a good job s/he is doing, and how much I appreciate it.”

And when manuscripts are approved by the first readers as being ready to be directed to editors (and 20 percent are, assuring the kind of quality that makes Creative Byline worthwhile for those editors), we can see that writers are getting feedback from editors much more quickly than in the traditional process.

Eighty-seven percent of manuscripts are looked at within three weeks of being submitted to an editor. And those editors work with well-respected publishers, we’re happy to say; some of them don’t normally accept unsolicited manuscripts.

As far as we know, a writer has yet to sell a manuscript through our process, but we’re keeping tabs on a few that are receiving serious consideration. We’re looking forward to that next Creative Byline milestone and will be the first—okay, maybe the third—to celebrate–after the writer and editor! Until then, we’ll continue to focus on making it easy for writers and editors to connect.

Welcome, Globe Pequot Press and Zest Books!

We’re happy these two houses have signed on with Creative Byline! Lyons Press, skirt!, and Globe Pequot Press Life are all imprints of Globe Pequot Press, which publishes many types of nonfiction, including books on health, style, fishing, nature, gardening, travel, and art. Zest Books, an imprint of Orange Avenue, publishes nonfiction books on teen issues and challenges.

With these additions, we now have more than 50 editors open to manuscripts submitted through Creative Byline! You can find out more in our press release.

Fast facts: What you told us

Based on our poll results, the biggest gripe writers have about the old, paper submission process is “interminable response times” (60%), followed by “rejections that don’t give useful feedback” (23%). What do editors most dislike about the old process? “Having to slog through 100 manuscripts. . .before finding one that shows promise” (35%),  “Feeling perpetually behind” (28%), and “Being cast as the evil editor” (21%). Thanks to everyone who participated!

By the way, we’ve shortened those response times a bit. Currently, for those writers whose manuscripts are accepted by our first readers, it’s averaging less than three weeks from the first time they submitted their manuscripts to Creative Byline until they hear back from an editor.  If you have a manuscript ready, clearly would be a great time to submit it!

Why is an outline required for novels?

There’s a good reason Creative Byline requires writers to include an outline as part of the submission package. While we were in the development stage of Creative Byline, editors told us they would prefer to know the manuscript is completed, but because a chapter-by-chapter outline shows the writer has thought through the entire story, an outline would be acceptable. So the outline is actually a compromise of sorts.

Not all writers write from an outline. But if your novel is done—which is what the editor is really hoping for—then it’s just a matter of summarizing what happens in each chapter.  Even better: In the process of writing the outline, you might spot a few weaknesses in your manuscript that you can then fix before submitting it. There’s information on how to write an outline on our “resources” page, but you must be logged in to access it. (Signing up doesn’t cost anything.)

Welcome, Tor Forge!

Tor Forge, the largest publisher of science fiction and fantasy in the world, is the latest publisher to sign up for Creative Byline. Earlier this week, we trained more than 35 editors at St. Martin’s and Tor Forge and some are already able to accept submissions through Creative Byline. Others will be doing so soon.

Our sales team, book industry insiders Jeanne Finestone and Maureen Golden, will be working to bring other publishers on board quickly. Meanwhile, word is spreading among writers that there’s a new, faster way to get submissions seen by editors at the major houses; the number of published and unpublished writers registering is growing every day. In the words of Kronk, “Oh, yeah. It’s all coming together now.”

St. Martin’s Press signs on!

St. Martin’s Press is our first client that publishes adult fiction and nonfiction, and we’re guessing lots of writers are as excited as we are–especially since St. Martin’s is normally closed to unagented writers. You’ll see their logo on Creative Byline’s front page under “Coming Soon,” which means that as soon as we finalize some administrative details, St. Martin’s will be accepting manuscripts through Creative Byline.

Don’t wait to sign up—it’s still free! Once you’ve uploaded a manuscript (or even just the title of your project and the genre) to Creative Byline, you’ll automatically receive an e-mail telling you which editor is looking for the kind of manuscript you’ve written. Sign up now, work on your profile, and get your manuscript into the system so that when the editors are ready, you are, too.

An author weighs in

We spent several years researching the submissions problem, and then we built the best manuscript submission system we knew how. Now we’re eager to know how we did–and people are telling us. We don’t mind constructive criticism (that’s one way we’ll  know how to make it better) but we also don’t mind when clients take the time to tell  us we got it right.

Here’s what author Robin Koontz said: “I received feedback from Creative Byline quickly and it was helpful with lots of good ideas on how to flesh out the biography I’m writing. I knew the manuscript was incomplete, but wasn’t sure how to proceed so this was a big help. Once I finish up my current project I will be revising and resubmitting it to Creative Byline.” Thanks, Robin!

If you have comments or suggestions, send us an e-mail.

On shortcuts

Someone on a discussion board referred to Creative Byline as a “shortcut” in a derogatory way. The definition of shortcut is “a method, procedure, policy, etc., that reduces the time or energy needed to accomplish something.” So yes, Creative Byline is a shortcut—in the same way that a washing machine is a shortcut to washing clothes by hand, or a power screwdriver is a shortcut to using a manual screwdriver, or an e-mail is a shortcut to sending a letter, which is itself a shortcut to traveling to see the recipient in person. It’s a better way, folks. That’s all.  It doesn’t cost a cent to take the tour and see for yourself.

The writing, of course, still must speak for itself. And when it comes to good writing, there truly are no shortcuts.

How many times can I submit?

One of our early clients gave us kudos in his comment and asked a good question: If after two attempts a manuscript still doesn’t pass our first reader’s quality check, what next? We recommend that you take some time to hone your writing skills in the areas that first readers mentioned in their feedback. You can start with our list of writers’ resources, which is accessible to members (membership is free right now).  Read a book on plot, attend a relevant conference, take an online class, find a critique group. After you’ve applied what you’ve learned to your manuscript, you can submit to Creative Byline again, for a fee. Basically, every other time is free, and you can submit to Creative Byline for as long as you want, continuing to get feedback every time.

We want you to succeed—not just to become a published writer but to become a better writer. Toward that end, we’re working to make the “writer” section of Creative Byline more robust. Stay tuned.