Episode #114: Publishing Beliefs!
Welcome back! Grace and Alvina discuss various beliefs about publishing that authors hold, and discuss whether they are true or not.
“First, how have you been?”
Alvina just attended the Winter 2022 sales conference where she believes the list for winter 2022 is very strong all across the board. She enjoyed more fun social outings and got together with some children’s book editor’s who were part of the original DIBS group (which went on to become the CBC Diversity Committee). They ventured out to Orange, NJ to Stacey Barney’s house.
Grace’s husband threw out his back so things have been a little hectic. There is chat about character reinforcing when Grace brings up the fact that she draws slanted eyes on her Asian characters when signing books. The book friends discuss how to show diversity in books that are establishing cultural norms.
Publishing Beliefs!
Grace and Alvina decided that they have more publishing topics to discuss so that’s how the topic for this week’s episode came to be. Here is the list of author myths and questions related to publishing. Alvina and Grace share their thoughts:
Is is bad to have long gaps in between published books? Is it true that should authors be publishing every year?
Are pre-orders important? Does it really make a difference?
Do authors really need to be on social media?
Do authors have to say “yes” to everything that their publicists ask?
If you part from your agent for any reason, does your that mean your career will be stalled?
If a book doesn’t earn out, is there somehow a black mark on the authors record that makes it harder to sell another book?
Many authors believe sale of one book to a publisher will automatically lead to another sale of a book, then to the next, etc… and then assume each advanced will get better. Is this true?
There is an assumption that an author can move the needle and make the best seller list. Can an author move the needle by themselves?
Can I make a decent living as an author between books, school visits, and other un-salaried activities?
Fortune Cookie Segment: Publishing News!
#We Need Diverse Books announced they would no longer be using the term #ownvoices. They’re planning to use specific descriptions that the authors use to describe their books. What should they call it now?
Gratefuls:
Grace caught Hazel making breakfast for her Dad who was laying low due to a back injury. She has restored faith in her daughter that she is grateful for! Alvina is thankful for the weird and miraculous creatures out there in the world like the Hummingbird Moth!
Thank you!
Thank you for tuning in! Thank you to Hachette Audio, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, and Alex at Pacyworks Studio. Be sure to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and tell a friend about us. (Use the hashtag #bookfriendsforever.)
You can find Alvina @Planetalvina on Twitter and TikTok and @Alvinaling on Instagram
You can find Grace @Pacylin on Twitter and Instagram and @gracelinauthor on TikTok and Facebook
*If you’re a patron, don’t forget to check out this week’s Random Questions feed! Grace Lin with Lisa Yee answer, “If you had to give up one thing for the rest of your life, would it be brushing your hair or brushing your teeth?” Click here to listen! If you’re not a patron already, join today!
