Edie, emailed me this morning to let me know MASTER of SURRENDER was reviewed over at Publisher’s Weekly, by one of Barbara Vey’s goils. I met Barbara at National this year, and she’s just as bubbly in person as she is on her blog. The women gets around too! She hits all of the conferences. If you haven’t visited, hop on over. Always lot’s of good stuff going on! And thanks again, Edie for the heads up! And to PM for the great review!

http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/
1460032346.html?nid=3383

Ciao, oh and PS, I’m just rambling over at Murder She Writes today.

K*

Would y’all rather have an A list agent as final judge or an editor from one of the New York five? Please chime in. I’ll give y’all until Sunday and make my decision based on the comments. And don’t forget, I’ll be chatting over at Murder She Writes Friday.

K*

And I lost my Q&A for today! So I’m improvising, adapting and overcoming.

There has been some discussion recently of the proper etiquette of firing/letting go/parting ways with an agent. So, here’s my take, and always remember this blog is Karin’s POV only, yours and others may very well be much different, and that’s cool.

My quick answer is: If you are not happy, end the relationship. Period. But most authors will not make a jump without an agent waiting in the wings. For me personally that would not matter. If I was not happy, the relationship would be over. Why stay?

But I think I am in the minority on this, because most authors I know would never be without an agent. So what does an author do? Why, go agent shopping of course!

How do you do this? Well, you do your homework and narrow down your choices. You talk to the agent’s authors, you face to face intro yourself to the agent if you have the opportunity. Shy? Have a friend introduce you. But you must get a feel for this agent you are courting.

Some say it’s behaving badly if an author looks for another agent while still contractually bound to their current agent. I had to scratch my head when I heard this. Here’s how I see it: If I’m in a job that just isn’t cutting it for me, do I say to my boss, “Hey, look, I’m not happy here, I’m going to look for another job, but don’t fire me because of it, coz, yanno, if I can’t find another job, I don’t want you to have any hard feelings or anything knowing I was looking for another job.” Now, if you tell your agent you’re looking for another agent, how do you think that is going to go over? If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say, “Not good.” Is it being deceitful? To me? No, it’s just business: you looking for another job when you are not happy in your current one. The leaving on good terms is another thing. I believe when the time to make the break comes, be honest and professional about it, and for the most part your’re answered with like behavior. But unfortunately it doesn’t always happen, because even though the other side is always shouting from the rooftops, “It’s just business,” they get their feeling hurt when they get dumped just like an author does when she gets dumped. Can’t help it, we are emotional beings. Rejection stings no matter which side of the fence you’re on.

If your current agent isn’t getting the job done, should you have a conversation about it? I would say, yes, if what is wrong is fixable. Sometimes, like so many relationships, it’s just not there anymore for whatever reason. Maybe you just don’t want a beta agent anymore. Can a conversation change a person’s basic nature? No. And personally, I think if you do have the conversation regarding what isn’t fixable, many authors are quilted or bullied into staying in the relationship. I mean how many times do chicks stay with a guy they have lost interest in because they feel bad or are made to feel if they do they’ll be sorry? It’s the same thing. And don’t think for one minute it doesn’t happen. It does. All of the time. It comes back to the human factor. There are unprofessional agents just as there are unprofessional authors. The pendulum swings both ways. And folks, sometimes good intentions on either side get really effed up. Again it comes back to emotions being involved and then for some all sense of professionalism evaporates. It happens.

It’s like I tell my kids with regard to their relationships: if you’ve lost the loving feeling, as nicely as the other will allow you to, make the break and move on (because we all know soon to be ex’s can get rather emotional). But make a clean, honest break, and if the other person loses control? Maintain your composure, stick to your guns and keep walking. A slow saw hurts everyone longer then necessary, a nice clean chop hurts for a sec then you get on with the business at hand.

So, while some agents think you should sit down and have a kumbaya moment, my feelings are: if your mind is made up and nothing will change it then move on, regardless of whether you have another agent or not. But if you just can’t bring yourself to not having an agent net, always make the break with your old agent before you sign with a new one.

So that’s all I have to say on the matter.

I’m guest blogging over at Chasing Heroes today. C’mon by and say howdy.

K*

Over at the Divas saying goodbye and giving away books!

K*

We’ve got a heavy topic we’re discussing. C’mon over. Murder She Writes

K*

Not that kind of hump! Naughty girls. Okay, so I had a rather tumultuous day! My sweet widdle Shih-Tzu, Coco, almost died today! She fell in the pool and no one knew!!! Thank god that little dog figured out she had to swim to the side and climb up the steps to save her furry butt. And that’s saying a lot, because we have a big ass pool, and she’s all of seven pounds! It’s weird, I heard her daughter, Zoe, barking like crazy and figured she was just harassing the cat, but I think she was trying to tell us Timmy fell down the well.

Of course Coco has long since recovered, and I’m on my third Xanex and fourth martini. Ok, I had a cup of coffee, but still…

So, I had to share my dog’s near death experience.

I also wanted to mention I’m blogging over at Pink Fuzzy Slippers tomorrow. C’mon by and say, howdy!

Ciao for now, goils!

K*

Albeit a wee bit late. Sorry, stayed up way too late watching the Olympics. And Lastia got ripped off!

Dear Karin,

Signed, Call Me Curious

Well, Call Me Curious, advances are tricky. A lot rides on the amount. For a new author the publisher looks at the commercial value of the work, where it will be slotted, when it will be slotted, if it will get the golden nod, which is major distribution and co op dollars for placement, if it’s a hot genre, or if it is destined to be a midlist book that will basically get hidden amongst the gazzillion other titles that month. Advances also depend on the publisher, the genre, and the projected sales of the title. Quite literally a debut author can get anywhere from a $1000.00 to a million dollar advance, it just depends on how they think it will do. Of course if you have a lousy agent your chances of a big deal are cut, but with a shrewd agent who knows they have a hot commodity, chances are good you’ll get a decent advance. As stated, advances run the gamut, but I would say for most new authors 5K-20K is the norm. Your mileage may very, especially when it comes to category.

Now if you are an established author with solid numbers behind you, you’ll get more for the next contract. As far as how advances are paid out, New York is cutting them up into three parts these days. Typically, a third upon signing, the second third upon acceptance (the manuscript is accepted and put into production) and the last third on release. Again a good agent can front load the first third pretty heavily.

Once an advance is earned out, then every six months (after the first cycle, which means you can wait for a year) an author can expect a royalty check. Royalties percentages can vary from 3-4% on the low end to the standard 7.5% for trade and 8 % for mass market. Once an advance is earned out (and some books never earn out) the publisher holds a nice chunk of the author’s royalties in reserve against any future returns. They can hold this money for years. It sucks. While many folks say it isn’t all about the money, and it isn’t, it’s nice to get as much up front as you can so that you don’t have to wait sometimes years for the release of the book to get the last part of your advance.

So, why does the publisher get the lion’s share?

Well, they produce the product, they promote it, and they have tremendous overhead. There are those editors, copy editors, sales team, art department, legal, publicity, all kinds of support staff, rent, utilities, you name it to pay, but bottom line: the cost of publishing is high.

I hope that answers your questions. If anyone else wants more clarification, holler. I do have another set of questions for next week, but after that the well is dry, so ask me! Karin@karintabke.com.

K*

Are you feeling the energy just pulsing our way from Bejing? I have always enjoyed the Olympics, but this year for some reason I am more hooked then normal. I’m sure it has something to do with the incredible Michael Phelps, and the incomparable Dara Torres, along with so many of our athletes, but for me, it goes deeper then the incredible feats of these Americans. For me, I look at all of their hard work, their determination, and their guts and realize what I have always known: We all are capable of gold!

My competitive nature has been rattled this past week, and with it the current story I’m working on, book three of the Blood Sword Legacy, is starting to take form. I knew who my hero was, but once again I found myself looking for his soul mate. And late last night I found her! She is a Welsh princess who has a mystic mystery about her that captivates my hero, Stefan, who is violent, dark and brooding but finds he wants her at all costs. And he goes to great lengths to have her. This is going to be one of those books that jumps from one emotional high to another only to plummet then to be resurrected again. I know what the black moment is, and it will come earlier in this story than normal, with the balance of the story being how these two reconcile after a heinous deed born of passion and greed nearly destroys them both.

I’m excited. Really excited. And while I have a lot on my plate right now, I feel like for the first time in a long long time, I can actually relax and write. I have only the final page proofs of TORMENT to go over, but I won’t see those for a few weeks. I also have a good friend of mine reading TORMENT and other than my editor and agent who love the book, her eyes are the only other ones to read. And since she writes historicals and is a fanatic about detail I am nervously awaiting her thoughts. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I also wanted to pass along some sad news: The Fog City Divas are having their final hoorah this month. Yep. We’re shutting down, but go on over and comment coz there is a huge book giveaway at the end of the month. I’m going to miss chatting with the goils, but, I’ll still be here, and hanging out over at Murder She Writes! And we’ll all still be Divas in our hearts!! Muwhahahahaha.

Okay, I do have some questions I will be answering on It’s Just Business Tuesday, so come on back, and check it out.

So, now with the Olympics nearly half over, what other events are you looking forward to watching?

K*

I’m feeling sooooo much better! I’m chatting as usual over at Murder She Writes today. But before y’all hop on over there I wanted to let you know about a contest my Black Diamond RWA chapter is running. I have some more chit chat stuff, but will post on Sunday. And I promise to get back to It’s Just Business Tuesday this Tuesday!

***Permission to Forward***

Want your synopsis read by Jessica Faust and/or Elaine English?

Interested in comments from multi-published authors writing for Pocket, Harlequin and more?

Presenting The Black Diamond’s 2008 Synopsis contest for published and unpublished writers.

FINAL ROUND JUDGES:
Published: Jessica Faust
Unpublished: Elaine English

In the event no published entries are received, both judges will score the finalist’s entries,
and the winner will be determined by the average scores.

Final placements will be announced in the RWR.

Entry deadline is postmarked/emailed by midnight on August 31, 2008.
For more information, entry form and
score sheets, please visit http://bdrwa.com/Contest.htm

Have a great weekend!

K*

I think I have Post RWA National Syndrome! A complete physical collapse after too much fun! Seriously, I have a nasty chest cold thingy going on. I’m going to spend the day in bed drinking hot tea and watching the Olympics. Did anyone catch the men’s incredible 400 m relay last night? Unfreakin’ believable. It was a very proud moment for America. The men’s basketball team is a class act this year and the ladies’ gymnastic team? Yowch it was hard to watch them. I hope they got all the kinks out of the routines. I have never seen so many mistakes in my life. But conversely the Chinese men’s team: Holy Cow! except for that one guy sitting on the parallel bars they were spectacular. Some years I really get into the Olympics and this seems to be one of them.

Anyone else watching?

K*