Client GalleryAmpersand: Issue One
"The writer isn't made in a vacuum. Writers are witnesses. The reason we need writers is because we need witnesses to this terrifying century."
E.L. Doctorow, 1930
In our first edition, we are proud to present an interview with David M. Wilkinson, a dedicated writer who prides himself on the historical accuracy of his novels. His recently released third novel, Oblivion's Altar, is the passionate story of a Native American leader's struggle against oppression. Mr. Wilkinson's agents, Anna Cottle and Mary Alice Kier of Cine/Lit, and his in-house editor, Daniel B. Slater, Senior Editor at NAL, Penguin Putnam, join the interview with reflections on the difficulties that authors face in today's publishing industry.
REALITY CHECK
EI: How has your actual experience of being published differed from the way you thought it would be?
David M. Wilkinson: I've been luckier than most writers, I think, when it came to book reviews/promotion and subsidiary rights. All three of my novels got quite a bit of attention from the film community. Not Between Brothers was optioned for three years to Kevin Costner/NBC Studios. Paperback rights sold well. What stuns me at this point in my career and after all this good fortune, however, is that selling new fiction hasn't gotten any easier. My track record in the bookstores hasn't been strong enough to save me from the typical torment that most novices associate with marketing a book.
Editors can't afford to let personal feelings get between them and you when it comes to making a decision on your novel. The hard truth is that they have cold-hearted, bean-counting suits to answer to. The writing profession is far more competitive than I thought, which means that there is always a great deal of fabulous material out there to loom over your best work. Even gifted writers are constantly looking over their shoulders. Their editors don't rest easy, either. Someone younger, hungry, and equally ambitious is always waiting for a shot at their job, too.
It's cold out there, my brothers. Write your heart out and dress accordingly. It helps to have a thick hide, too.
EI: What basic misconception most hampers a first-time author in the process of working with an in-house editor?
Daniel B. Slater: David was a fully seasoned and previously published author before we began working together, but I can say that with first-time authors that I have worked with, a common misconception is that an editor will take your story and rework it beyond what you may have wanted or intended, without giving you a say in the process.
A good editor should be cognizant enough to know the elements of how to make a good story even better, and be able to give you clear and direct comments on how to improve your story. Though an author may not enjoy some of the comments that come back, or the amount of revisions requested, an author has to realize that an editor knows how to shape a book into a successful product that will not only be even more satisfying to readers, but also to be a commercial success. Although it is often hard for first-time writers to "let go" of their work, it is necessary to approach the editing process with an open mind, and a more objective stance on their work.
EI: What basic misconception most hampers a first-time author in the process of working with an agent?
Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle of Cine/Lit: Many authors feel that once they've sold their first book, they can continue writing in the same way they did the first time around. What they don't realize until they get their first contract is that their next book will have to be part of a publishing program with all that this entails: carefully considering the building of a certain readership that responded to their first book, delivery deadlines, self-promotion and marketing their book, etc.
David proved a very fast study and grasped this immediately. Of course, he wasn't a first time author when we were first introduced to his work. After Not Between Brothers, Boaz published David's second novel, The Empty Quarter. From this we could see that David had a larger worldview and would be able to write in different contexts.
ON MENTAL OUTLOOK
EI: What factors, mental set, or techniques were instrumental in helping you get ready to market?
David M. Wilkinson: I am a driven, compulsive writer. I struggle to begin a novel, fight the absolute commitment that it takes for me to write one. Slowly, I peck away more often for greater periods of time until the pendulum swings to the other extreme,and I miss meals to work on the book. I work very hard on my books, and then I rest for a while. I feel guilty when I rest. I get fairly far along with a manuscript before I show it to a core group of trusted readers. When I listen to them and consider well their suggestions, I revise and then send it to my agents, who happen to be strong editorially along with other talents. We show the manuscript to prospective publishers after another revision or two.
Once we begin working with the publisher's editor, the process begins again. Oblivion's Altar, for instance, went through three substantial edits at Penguin Putnam before they sent it off to the copy editor, and I was still revising until they just took the thing away from me. After that I don't read my work ever again.
I hate writers who always stress the fact that writing is a business. I prefer to think of it as a profession. I know a number of successful writers and the one thing in common they all share is an ability to work on a novel every day. Some shoot for ten pages a day as their goal. Others write as much as they can everyday between certain hours. Successful writers develop a serious work ethic.
Secondly, I feel one should read, read, read. Can't stress that enough. I read everything I can get my hands on, especially when I'm between novels. I've learned to read for fun and to learn at the same time. I've developed a sincere appreciation for other styles and voices. I love to be surprised, to buy into another writer's "fictive dream," as John Gardener described it. But I also read critically, more like a student than a literature professor, with an eye on structure, plot, characterization, setting, and mood.
EI: How should an author help during the editing and publishing process? What was David's role?
Daniel B. Slater: I look at the editorial process as one that should organically evolve between author and editor. I am here to provide feedback, guidance, concise suggestions, and perhaps firm corrections, but in the end, this is still the author's work, and I encourage the author to provide the answers even as I suggest alternatives. It is very much a give and take relationship when it succeeds. But it takes a lot of work to achieve this type of rapport.
Besides being open to the editing process, an author has to be prepared to do a lot of work; sometimes in a direction he or she had no intention of going. Luckily, David is a very inspired and motivated writer, whose work ethic is such that he is prepared to do whatever it takes to make the best book possible. Even better, he is an author who innately understands the nature of his novels, and what he is trying to achieve by writing them, never losing sight of the "big picture." He also isn't afraid to take risks. The result of this is that it was very easy to give David a general idea for edits and let him them extrapolate from there, providing him the freedom to expand his ideas within a given framework, or accentuate and strengthen various elements of the plot.
EI: Should an author help the agent market a book? What was David's role?
Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle of Cine/Lit: Like all authors today, David has assumed a much stronger and more active role in promoting his published work. He has created a terrific website and has even hired a public relations specialist to help with contacting the media.
An author needs to realize that when a publishing house offers a contract,they will want to build the author over a period of time. They invest time and money in the editorial and marketing aspects of the book and target a certain readership. The publishing house always has an option on the author's next book so they hope to follow up with a book that falls broadly into the same category.
David played an important role in the marketing when he came up with a very strong proposal for the new novel--a compelling overview and three exciting opening chapters. We were able to give David's editor at NAL solid ammunition with which to approach his editorial board. David is such a natural writer. Words simply flow out of him. He's always ready to polish and revise or make suggestions.
ON THE PROCESS OF PUBLISHING
EI: What road blocks and triumphs did you encounter in actually dealing with the process of publishing?
David M. Wilkinson: Roadblocks include fear, doubt, procrastination, and distractions, just to name a few. These are your enemy and you've got to be ruthless in dealing with them. Triumphs include the literary awards I've won, a little critical acclaim here and there, but mostly I celebrate the hard-won conviction that the joy of writing is rooted in the process, not the end product.
I grow a little every day at this craft. I know that I haven't yet written my best novel. My editors challenged me on each of my novels, and I feel that I always delivered on their expectations and then some. I'm proud that I was able to surprise them with the manuscript I sent back. I work hard and take risks and as far as I'm concerned, both of these have yielded results.
EI: What roadblocks and triumphs did you encounter in getting this book ready for market? Did you share all of them with David during the process?
Daniel B. Slater: In working through Oblivion's Altar, David had the conception to alter viewpoints, using an omniscient narrative interspersed with various first-person accounts. It is a staggeringly hard effect to achieve successfully, but the nature of the story lent itself to it perfectly. One of the biggest obstacles editorially was to ensure that the power and weight these sections carried was maximized--they needed to move the story along without bogging down the pace, and they needed to shock the reader into a higher level of awareness without disrupting the overall flow of the book. One of the biggest triumphs in my mind is that David had no trouble capitalizing on the effects of these sections, and made them work as fruitfully as they do in any Faulkner novel.
As far as the actual publishing process is concerned, one of the biggest challenges was conveying the importance of the book, on many fronts. First, we intend this book to be David's breakout work. He has had tremendous success in paperback so far, but we went with a trade paperback format to both help the book garner more reviews and to improve its backlist life. To generate interest in the title, we put a gorgeous package on the book and were able to secure some first-rate quotes. David has worked very hard in regional and national book fairs, and being such a personable guy, he was able to make the most out of meeting various reps, buyers, and readers across the country. This adds momentum to a book that is already garnering a lot of attention, much of it attributed to David's arduous work on the book's behalf. So indeed, David was very much involved every step of the way, often spearheading a lot of the initiatives we've undertaken to break this book out.
Secondly, there is an important historical and social element to this book, as it paints the protagonist, Major Ridge, in a light that has never been cast before. One truly sees all sides of this remarkable man and gains a better understanding of the challenges and travails he faced in his lifetime. David is always impeccable in his research, and as such made it easier for us to convey this side of the book to readers and booksellers alike.
EI: What roadblocks and triumphs did you encounter in actually selling the book? Did you share all of them with David during the sale?
Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle of Cine/Lit: The relationship between author and agent has to be one of great trust and support. When a client shares an idea or sends us pages on what he wants to write next, we respond first to the idea, plot, characters, etc. Only then do we give thought to the marketing challenges involved. We never tell an author he or she cannot write this or that. We can only advise on the reality of the market. If an author suddenly wants to completely change genre, this can prove challenging because the publishing house will want to keep them in a certain stream.
Once we go out to market, we always share each reaction with the author by calling them and sending them a copy of the response letter. If we find we are getting similar comments and turndowns, we will point this out to the author so that he or she can consider revising the proposal or manuscript before it goes out again.
ON MARKETING
EI: What are the things you wish you'd done in the first place in writing and marketing your novel?
David Wilkinson: I wish that I had read more fiction. Studied the craft more. Wrote more. I wish that I'd have had the gumption to attend writers conferences and seminars. I never did until after I was published. What a sap! There are so many more resources available to aspiring writers than there were when I started out back in the mid-1980s. Find them and use them.
As far as marketing my novel, I think I did everything right. I worked hard on my query letters until they were examples of my very best writing. I researched likely publishing houses and specific editors that might be interested in the kind of work I was doing. I was forthright and honest with potential editors and agents. I was always polite. I always sent thank-you notes to editors and agents who rejected me because they had invested some of their valuable time in my work. That's a privilege, not an obligation. I always included SASE for return postage. I tried to exude a professional image.
I read as much as I could about the industry so that I could understand the challenges faced by the publishing industry. Reading Publishers Weekly and subscribing to the e-mail newsletter Publisher's Lunch really gave me insight into the business that I desperately wanted to be a part of. I developed a healthy respect for my editors and publicity and marketing staff. No one has it easy in the publishing business. I tried not to take my disappointments personally. (I failed at that...)
I also learned to listen... to my agents, to my editors, to the people I work with in every facet of this calling. The truth is that after I published, I've never had to work alone again. There was great advice and wisdom all around me. All I had to do was embrace it...
EI: What made you want to take David on as a client when you first read his manuscript?
Daniel B. Slater: David is an extraordinary writer; his prose isboth visionary and expressive, yet still grounded in the factual background of his tales. To this day I am amazed at the balance of elements that he achieves in his work. He simply writes the kind of books I love to read, and he writes them better than most! When I picked up his first book, Not Between Brothers, I immediately recognized a writer who had mastered the craft of storytelling, and the breadth and complexity of elements within his writing is such that it is only a matter of time before we see him on the bestseller lists. It is not often that you chance across a writer with as much talent and proficiency as David has, and when you do, you need to do everything you can to get him on board.
EI: What made you want to take David on as a client when you first read his manuscript?
Mary Alice Kier and Anna Cottle of Cine/Lit: We fell in love with his writing immediately because of his terrific, engaging storytelling facility. David writes with enormous passion, creating wonderfully colorful and three-dimensional characters, along with a great visual flair that compels the reader from the very first paragraph.There's a bravura, a fearlessness in his words that just sweeps you away into a different world.
We particularly admired his fair treatment of all his characters and their individual points of view. Of course, when we met him, we also responded to his knowledge of the craft, his admiration for other writers, and his overall literary frame of reference. He blends hard work and humor with a healthy dose of ambition in interfacing and networking with other authors and readers, which all takes time and energy.
These days, all authors are faced with a rigorous schedule of researching their new book, meeting tough deadlines, and continuing to promote themselves and their books. A writer's life is not an easy one, but fortunately David Marion Wilkinson seems to thrive in this busy, creative milieu.
Books by David M. Wilkinson
NOT BETWEEN BROTHERS
Trade Paperback edition--ISBN 0-9651879-3-4 Signet 1999
My ancestors were some of the first white immigrants to arrive in southwest Arkansas. I left five generations behind in that stubborn red clay. I chose to focus on their hopes, aspirations, and most of all, their hunger for a place of their own, as they stomped through historical events of sweeping importance and drastic change. As a nation, we are still reeling from this era's racial and cultural disasters. Yet, all of us -- Anglo, Hispanic and American Indian -- are still here, still striving, still learning to live with one another. Each culture has great strengths and crippling weaknesses, and once they came face to face for the first time on the Mexican/Texas frontier, a great tragedy unfolded. This tragedy forms the heart of Not Between Brothers.
"Spanning three decades in the early years of the Independent Republic of Texas, this well-crafted, gripping first novel portrays three cultures--Mexican, white immigrant, and Comanche--in bloody collision... Wilkinson is a gifted storyteller who brings Texas history to life with a tale rich in adventure and high emotions."
-- Publishers Weekly
THE EMPTY QUARTER
Hardcover--ISBN 0-9651879-2-6 Boaz Publishing Co. 1998
Logan Wilson clings to a specialized, freewheeling, sometimes cruel, and always-harsh way of life through which he explores the unlikely bond that forms between men in the Rub Al Khali desert. This story breathes life into that iron world that I used to call my own.
"The rigors of life on an oil rig form the backdrop for Wilkinson's atmospheric and absorbing second novel... the climax packs a wallopand the emotional aftermath rings surprisingly true. Wilkinson bendsconventions of formula enough to keep things interesting, but themost fascinating aspect of his book is its inside take on the bizarre macho rituals employed by workers to keep their sanity underterribly stressful working conditions..."
-- Publishers Weekly
"Wilkinson's novel isn't just for those interested in the oil industry... the book presents a... character seeking not only survival but self-understanding through the life-threatening events he faces."
-- Jacqueline Banks, Texas Alcalde
"If you're searching for an antidote to the depiction of self-conscious masculinity so endemic to contemporary literature, look no further than The Empty Quarter. It's unabashedly old-school masculine through and through... "
-- Clay Smith, Book Editor, The Austin Chronicle
OBLIVION'S ALTAR
ISBN 0451205464 New American Library Trade 2002
A true-to-life, progressive Cherokee chief, who once fought alongside President Andrew Jackson in the Creek War, finds himself between two fires--the Anglos who had lied to him and the full-blood majority among his own tribe, who believe they had been misled. Major Ridge's unprecedented journey toward "civilization" astounded the world. His success, however, only alienated him from his own people and targeted him as America's most dangerous Native American leader, the illiterate "savage" whose campaign for justice forced Andrew Jackson's America to the brink of civil war
"In his passionate third novel, Spur Award-finalist Wilkinson spans six decades in addressing the plight of Major Ridge, a great Cherokee chieftain. Ridge is a tragic hero, a good man who did everything he could to protect his people, but who is ultimately betrayed by both the whites and his Indian brothers. Solidly based on historical fact, Wilkinson's tale packs a strong emotional punch and cannot help but make readers wonder which side was the most civilized after all."
-- Publishers Weekly
David Marion Wilkinson (www.dmarionwilkinson.com), a fifth-generation Arkansan, has lived in Texas since 1972. He has created quite a following with three successful novels under his belt and a Violet Crown Award winner for his first novel, Not Between Brothers. The book was also a Spur Award "Best Novel of the West" finalist, and was selected "Editors Choice" by The Review of Texas Books. Wilkinson lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, Bonnie, and their two sons, Dean and Tate.
Note: Editing International co-owner, Elizabeth Lyon, worked with Mr. Wilkinson on developmental drafts of Not Between Brothers and The Empty Quarter. Mr. Wilkinson states the following about working with Ms. Lyon on Not Between Brothers.
"She began as my teacher and quickly became my friend. For the struggling writer, I'm certain there is no better place to turn. She is the one true lighthouse beacon along that stormy, rocky, wreck-strewn coast."
"She was thorough, detailed, succinct and knowledgeable. She punched holes in my self-confidence for sure, but she also had answers about how to 'fix' what was wrong. She is an advocate of thoroughly indoctrinating her students in the basics of the craft. I continue to grow as a novelist, but I still build on the foundation that Elizabeth laid out for me."
Regarding Ms. Lyon's work on The Empty Quarter, Mr. Wilkinson acknowledges her as follows:
"Thanks to my friends William J. Scheick and Elizabeth C. Lyon for providing editorial direction and encouragement through the novel's early drafts. I couldn't have salvaged the manuscript without Elizabeth's help in particular."
Cine/Lit (www.cinelit.com) is an entertainment, management andproducing partnership formed byAnna Cottle andMary Alice Kier. They can be contacted atcinelit@msn.com.
The enterprise includes literary representation as well as managing the film and television rights to books and screenplays, along with the development of new content for the internet.
The partnership is a member of:
- Association of Authors' Representatives, (AAR)
- British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- Women In Film (WIF) (Kier served on the board of directors from 1977-1979)
- IFP/West (Independent Feature Project)
"Good reading for the millions" was the slogan of the founders of New American Library (www.penguinputnam.com) more than fifty years ago, and it is equally appropriate for today's NAL. Offering a wide selection of fiction and nonfiction, NAL aims at reaching the largest possible number of readers, the true mass market. The NAL imprints--Signet, Onyx, Signet Classics, and Roc--publish over four hundred titles each year. The majority of the titles are original works, supplemented by reprints originating primarily from sister imprints Viking, Dutton, and Putnam.
