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Posts Tagged ‘Publishing’

You’re My Friend Now

Wednesday, September 6th, 2023

Hi everyone!

My name is Beau Swan (iykyk) and I am one of the new interns this Fall at Beaufort!

Do you guys know that TikTok trend where they use the “you’re my friend now, we’re having soft tacos later” audio? If not, click here for a link to my personal favorite example. Anyways, my point is you guys are my friends now, and while I can’t have soft tacos with you guys, I can (and will) share my most interesting facts, thoughts, and opinions (as unprovoked as they might be) with you for the next few months. My very fragile feelings will appreciate if you will put up with me for the short amount of time we have together. 

I just realized we don’t know anything about each other. In order to initiate this newfound friendship, I will tell you guys a little bit about myself…

It all started when my mom met my dad, and they fell in love, and they had me! Hi, I’m Beau Swan, and my life is kind of crazy. I’m just kidding, and for my friends that didn’t get it, that’s just another TikTok reference…I have a little bit of an addiction.

Back to me though, I live in Western New York where I was born and raised. While I may not have moved anywhere different in my lifetime, I do love to travel! I feel like that last sentence makes me sound old. I’m not…at least I hope not. I’m still in my early 20s, so you tell me if I’m old or not. In my defense however, I know how to work both my phone and computer, and I can put my credit card into a pin pad the correct way without a tutorial from the cashier. I just beg that you not ask me what rizz means or if I know a particular trendy dance. The only dance I know is the Cha Cha slide and that’s only because the song tells me exactly what to do. 

Ugh, I keep getting off topic. Some boring facts about myself are that I have my Bachelor’s in English and Creative Writing. I was a double major during my undergrad, but I still [by some miracle] found the time to minor in Business. Right now, I’m working on getting my MFA in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing at Emerson College. I love to write just as much as I enjoy reading what others write so it’s the perfect program for me! 

I’m so excited to be at Beaufort this Fall! I’m gonna be reading manuscripts, maybe sitting in on some meetings, working on social media stuff, all that good stuff that comes with working in the publishing industry. And occasionally, I will come to rant to you guys about anything that’s on my mind in relation to books. Hope none of my new friends mind!

Your friend,

Beau Swan

Top 10 Common Manuscript Submission Mistakes

Thursday, July 13th, 2023

As an intern for Beaufort, one of my responsibilities is to read slush, partial, and full manuscripts. Many of these submissions come through our Submittable portal. Which, if you’re thinking of submitting to, go ahead! We love reading submissions—especially well-written ones! 

Throughout the last few months, I’ve noticed a few common mistakes that sneak into many of the submissions that we receive. However, the good news is that many of these mistakes are easily fixable!

So, I’ve decided to compile the Top 10 Mistakes into a list that you can refer to when preparing to submit. 

#1. Not being professional. 

When writing your cover letter, be sure to tell us about yourself and how you came to write the book. We want to get to know you as a person! But, make sure that you don’t get too personal. For example, it would probably be best to not start your cover letter off with “Hello dear! How are you?” or to end it with, “Kiss you! Hug you! And wish you all the best!”

And please, no backhanded compliments like, “I have confidence in your competence.”

#2. Having poor grammar. 

A lot of times, a manuscript will be well-written, but the cover letter and synopsis have poor grammar (missing periods, misspelled words, run-on sentences). The cover letter is the first thing we see when looking at your submission, so make sure you pay attention to it.

Edit your cover letter and synopsis with the same attention that you give your manuscript. The cover letter and synopsis are previews of what’s to come, so make sure it’s attention-grabbing and, most importantly, well-written. Before turning everything in, do one last pass with spell check to catch any mistakes that may have slipped through.  

#3. Leaving notes on the manuscript. 

I get it, sometimes you have multiple copies of the same manuscript that all have similar titles. And sometimes, you may accidentally upload the wrong version—a version that still has your comments and tracked changes on it. But, this is a really easy fix!

Before you hit “Submit,” double check to make sure you uploaded the version of the manuscript that you want us to see. And, if you’ve turned on track changes, make sure you’ve actually made those changes. 

#4. Making the target audience too broad. 

No two books are alike, and neither are readers. A single book won’t be everyone’s cup of tea—and that’s okay! So when thinking about who your target audience is, try to stay away from broad statements like “everyone” or “people from all around the world of all ages.”

If you’re struggling, do some research on comparable titles. What books on the market have a similar writing style, theme, or vibe to your manuscript? Mention some of the ones you find in your submission, but make sure to be realistic— don’t compare your book to Harry Potter!

#5. Not having a marketing plan. 

After you’ve written and edited your manuscript, it can be hard to think about ways to market it, but, showing that you’ve at least thought about what comes next lets us know that you are driven and passionate about your work. 

Your marketing plan doesn’t have to be extensive, but at least have something that lets us know that you’ve put some thought into it. 

Have you made your author social media accounts? If you’ve published before, what did you think worked well? And, alternatively, what didn’t? Do you run a blog or have media contacts?

Anything is better than nothing! 

#6. Not following the guidelines. 

Each publisher will have a different set of guidelines, but when you’re submitting to Beaufort, make sure to be mindful of ours. 

Our Submission Guidelines will walk you through topics such as how to submit and what your submission should include. 

#7. Submitting a book that is too long.

While some authors like J.K. Rowling and Anna Todd can get away with writing super long books, many debut or indie authors will have a hard time finding an agent or publisher that will accept their 100k+ word manuscript. 

This isn’t to say that it’s necessarily impossible to get it published, but it will prove to be a daunting task. In many cases, you’ll have to cut it down. 

#8. Submitting genres we don’t accept. 

There are a few types of submissions that Beaufort Books does not accept, such as educational material, short stories, and erotica. 

If you submit a manuscript that falls under one of these categories, it will probably be a quick reject, and that will most likely apply to other publishers too.

#9. Submitting the same manuscript to both Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press. 

Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press share a submission portal, meaning that submissions for both presses go to the same place. So if you submit to both, it shows up as double on our screen. Do some research on which press looks like the best fit for your manuscript, and submit to that one.

With that in mind, it’s okay to submit to both Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press as long as the manuscript follows both press’s submission guidelines. 

#10. Addressing the wrong publisher. 

Now it may seem obvious to address your cover letter to Beaufort Books as “Beaufort Books” and not “Penguin Random House,” but sometimes little mistakes like that slip through! Just make sure to check over what you’ve written before you submit. And, if you can, have someone else look over it. A fresh pair of eyes never hurts. 

Of course, this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a good place to start. Overall, a lot of simple mistakes can be fixed with a bit of editing and research. 

Happy submitting!

DumBEAUledore 

My Experience at an Antiquarian Book Fair

Monday, March 13th, 2023

By Beau Henry

This past February, I found myself at the 55th Annual California Antiquarian Book Fair (https://www.abaa.org/cabookfair) in Pasadena, CA. Rare booksellers from all over the world gathered at the Pasadena Convention Center to sell unpublished manuscripts, ephemera, and rare first editions that spanned six centuries and several continents. The event was well attended but not overly crowded, and it was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

Among the incredible books at the fair were signed first editions of James Joyce’s Ulysses, signed Harry Potter first editions, and a partial first draft manuscript of Infinite Jest By David Foster Wallace. Prices for these artifacts ranged from what you might pay for a decent car to a significant down payment on a house, and I contemplated selling everything I owned for a rare book and switching careers entirely. Luckily, my partner pushed me along the path between displays, and I did not have a chance to start bartering.

In addition to all of the books, there were a number of displays that demonstrated how antique printing presses worked, and some that even offered to print things for you on the spot. Several attendees received custom printings and many stood around watching the process. On the outside edges of the convention center, there were a number of sellers who specialized in rare comic books and prints from the 1900s that represented various social and political movements.  Some of them were scary, and some of them were inspiring. Other sellers specialized in pulp fiction and genre writing like science fiction and fantasy, and had a number of books with unique covers.

As an inexperienced visitor, I found the history of literature to be fascinating. I found myself enamored with everything from gruesome medical literature to authors as modern as George Saunders, and it felt like there was a real literary continuity, despite the differences in content. There was a sense that this was a community, and that books mattered to the sellers. Despite the lucrative nature of antiquarian bookselling, this was a collection of people who believed that books should be preserved.

My hope is that in the future, we’ll still have this community. 

Reading on the Road

Thursday, January 26th, 2023

Hi, everyone. I am one of Beaufort Books Spring Interns. 

I am so excited to be working at Beaufort Books this spring. I grew up in upstate New York, although my mom and I were constantly moving around. We spent so much time in the car traveling from one adventure to the next, and we would always pack a big bag of books to read while driving. 

In December 2022, I graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with a B.S. in Psychology. For so long I thought my passion for stories would always just be relinquished to staying up too late to read just one more chapter. New Orleans, though, held so many opportunities, amazing mentors, and my passion for publishing became my main focus. 

Discovering new novels that will take readers through a whirlwind of emotions is something I am looking forward to during my internship. Some of my favorite books are The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith; Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert; and my newest favorite How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie. Don’t worry, I promise my mom is safe and sound. 

I can’t wait to see what my adventure at Beaufort Books holds!

Best Wishes, 

Judith Beaumann 

Management Skills in Publishing and Goodbye

Friday, December 2nd, 2022

Management skills in the publishing industry are important when leading employees and therefore setting an example. When working in the publishing industry, it can be useful to lead with empathy and be able to work as a team. Working as a team to get books published on time is important. Authors depend on you to publish their work on time and deliver it to readers in the best shape. They have trusted you with work they have spent months, and sometimes even years, writing. Leading a team in the publishing industry can be fulfilling, but scary as well. Suddenly you are given the responsibility of managing a team and keeping up communication with authors. One key aspect we cannot forget is that passion has led us to the publishing industry. Our fulfillment of seeing a book we have worked hard on published is thrilling. So what skills can we learn as leaders to help manage teams more efficiently? 

One important skill is to check on your team and make sure they get breaks in between the work. Giving breaks away from the project, even if it is brief, will prevent your team from getting burnt out. A drained team will not bring in the best work and this might leave authors frustrated. Another important skill is to lead with empathy and getting to know your team outside the work. You don’t need to tell your team everything about you, but sharing small details will help build a connection and foster a better work environment. Hosting small work events can help boost your team too. Finally, having trust in your team to get the work done on time is an important skill to learn as a leader. When you micromanage your team, you are telling them that you do not trust their work. It is crucial to build trust within your team and to keep communication open when working. 

I would like to say goodbye to you all and I hope you enjoyed my blog posts over the past two months. I hope you can take this brief blog about managing to heart as you lead. Beau Vader out.

This Is Farewell

Wednesday, December 11th, 2019

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” – T. S. Eliot

Four months have never passed so quickly. When I started at Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press in September, it felt like I had all the time in the world to soak up the experience of being a publishing intern. How naïve of me. New York City is so fast-paced that 14 weeks seem to go by in mere seconds. Nevertheless, in these 14 weeks, I have gained valuable experience and knowledge working with truly impressive and wonderful people. Taking a book from manuscript to publication is an arduous undertaking, but the people at Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press do it with grace and skill. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to learn from them, and parting ways with them is bittersweet.

Leaving New York City is equally as hard. I have gained so much from this incredible city. The confidence of navigating an often confusing and delayed train system. The determination of pushing through crowds of tourists when you’re late. The list goes on. Being here during the holidays has been a dream too! Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, and being here in the City to see all the lights and decorations has only deepened this sentiment. Of one thing I am certain, I will be leaving a part of my heart in this city when I go, but I know that I will be back soon.

I figured that before I say goodbye, I should probably leave you all with my recommendations of things to do in NYC. Check them out below!

  1. Get free tickets to Late Night with Seth Meyers or another talk show

Sign up for a 1iota account to be put on the waitlist for a plethora of shows and events happening in New York. I went in early December to Late Night with Seth Meyers and saw Saoirse Ronan (Ladybird) and Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)!

2. Take a walk around Brooklyn Heights/DUMBO

I lived in Brooklyn Heights during my stint in the City, and it was such a great place to be. The neighborhood has tons of restaurants, beautiful brownstones, and is a short walk from the Promenade where you can get million-dollar views of the city skyline. Right next door is DUMBO, another great neighborhood with tons to do and incredible views.

3. Visit Times Square. Just go early

If you want to visit this tourist attraction without the crowds, I recommend going around 9 AM and not during the holidays. I went early in the morning at the beginning of November. No massive crowds. No lines at the Disney store. It was glorious.

4. See a Broadway show

I managed to see TEN shows on Broadway during my four months. I kept the costs minimal by entering the lotteries and joining the rush lines for plays that I wanted to see. My top recommendation is Jagged Little Pill. Alanis Morisette’s iconic album inspired the musical. It was a marvelous and emotional ride.

5. Leave the City

Although I love New York, there are so many amazing places that are just a short train ride away! I went to Connecticut to visit friends and enjoyed the change in pace from New York. Mystic, CT, is a quaint little town on the coast that is a perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the City. There are also beautiful places in upstate New York that are close by.

Well, dear readers, the time has come. Goodbyes are so bittersweet, but I am excited about what’s next for me. Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope all of you have a joyous holiday season and a blessed 2020! Love hard, read often!

With gratitude,

Captain Beaumerica

This is a shared post with Spencer Hill Press.

Everyone Wants to be Published

Tuesday, September 13th, 2016

When you’re a publishing student, you face an annoying struggle from strangers. People think you can help them publish the book they wrote. “If I give you my manuscript, can you publish it?”

Um, no. First off, I’m still a grad student and do not work for a publisher, yet. Second off, just because I will work for a publisher one day doesn’t mean I can – or will – publish your work.

Let’s break down the acquisition process:

First you have to grab an editor’s interest, but if you simply submit your manuscript to an editor it will end up in the Slush pile, especially when it’s a big house like Simon & Schuster or HarperCollins. (If anyone’s familiar with the show Younger, you’ll know what the Slush pile means.) The only sure way to get an editor interested in your work is to get a literary agent. The literary agent will help you polish and improve your manuscript.

Younger

(Still from Younger, www.halopublishing.com/blog)

Having a literary agent is like having that cool friend who can get you into the VIP parties. The agent is connected to the editor in some way – college alums, former coworkers, BFFs, members of the same family in one way or another. So because of the agent’s connection to the editor, the editor is more willing to read a manuscript that was suggested and represented by this trustworthy source.

Next if the editor loves your manuscript and wants to publish it, he/she needs to rally support within the publishing house before the manuscript is pitched at a meeting with the publisher. The support may be from another editor or a coworker who works in the marketing or sales department. By getting backup, the manuscript has more of a fighting chance to be published by the house.

But it may not stop there. You could grab the attention of the publisher at the meeting, but they may want more people to read the manuscript and then discuss the manuscript’s possibility of life at the next meeting.

So with that said, if you know someone who works in publishing or is studying to make publishing a career, don’t say, “I have a manuscript. Can you publish it?” There are so many steps for the manuscript to be considered, and most likely the person you expect to publish your book, doesn’t possess the cosmic power to make you a published author.

–Peggy Ann, intern

Manuscripts

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016

Reading an unpublished work is kind of like going backstage after a show. Backstage lacks the polish of the finished product. You can see the mechanics of the magic, and yet somehow it doesn’t take any of the magic away. The ropes and pulleys, the props and cast-off costumes betray the hours of hard work that the show concealed so well.

Manuscripts have the same essence as what lies behind the stage door. They are not perfect, but with a little work they have the potential to be just as beautiful and heart-wrenchingly good as any Broadway production.

About a week into my internship, I was asked to read some of the manuscripts in our submissions portal. I was thrilled. This, I thought, is what publishing is all about. My excitement died down a little bit as I began sifting through the entries and didn’t immediately find the next Harry Potter. Nonetheless, I was reading unpublished material, and it fulfilled every dream I’d had of interning at a publishing company in New York City.

I’ve been honored to be able to work with a few manuscripts over the course of the summer. As an intern, I’m not making big changes or drastically shaping the future of the American novel à la Maxwell Perkins—don’t worry. Most of the time I’m just an extra pair of eyes to look over the edits and make sure they were made correctly. But even in such a small capacity, I’m still incredibly excited every time I’m asked to help with one of the books. For one thing, I love reading more than anything, so it could never be boring. For another, even though I’m providing only the smallest help I still feel important. I’m saving the world one Oxford comma at a time. Most of all, it is a privilege to see an artistic process take shape as the manuscript becomes a book. I imagine a stage manager or a producer feels the same way, watching their play go from script to stage. For publishers, it all begins with a manuscript.

–Caroline, Intern

*This is a joint post between Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill

Breaking Beau: How Will a Reader Judge a Book By Its Cover in the Future?

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012

As Rachel mentioned in her previous post, bookstores are not just places to buy books. For lovers of books, they are havens, albeit sanctuaries. Whenever I enter a bookstore, browsing for a few minutes quickly turns into several hours. I usually need to physically pull out each individual book, look at the reviews (dismissing the notion that reviews are sometimes misleading) and then read the synopsis, just to see if I can relate to the plot in any particular way.

Cover #1 (for Ian McEwan’s upcoming novel, Sweet Tooth)

Yet, a very defining factor in my own buying process (besides what mood I’m in) is the book cover. So often, many of my decisions to buy books have come from the way the book has been marketed. In many instances, a book cover can spark my imagination in innumerable ways, and of course a major part of why I read fiction is because I love to have my imagination sparked.

Cover #2 (for Ian McEwan’s upcoming novel, Sweet Tooth)

For example, Ian McEwan’s newest novel, Sweet Tooth (to be released in October 2012), has two vastly different covers, which I’m guessing one is for the audio book and the other cover is the one that McEwan and his publishers ultimately decided for the hardcover book. Cover #1 is definitely creepier and uses color (or lack thereof) to its advantages, to perhaps accentuate certain aspects of the book, such as a psychological paranoia looming in the red-dressed woman’s psyche. However, Cover #2, which I like much better, seems to grab my attention more because instead of being the audience member watching the creepster loom in the hallway, Cover #2 tears down the third wall and forces us to become the voyeur. Because of this and due to the fact that the woman peers down the railroad track leaves more room for me to think about where the story may be headed or what kind of story McEwan may be shooting for – in other words, mystery or even enigma can often be a successful quality to a book cover.

So, I use these two book covers, just to demonstrate how my mind, as an avid reader, works when I would peruse bookstores.  Sure, judging a book by its cover is not any breaking news – I’m not imparting any profound wisdom here. Most people, especially those who frequently buy books, understand the vitality of the book cover. Also, they understand how the book cover is undergoing vast changes. The advent of the e-book (much like with music) has slightly devalued the cover and instead has placed responsibility in the hands of the reviewers, which may or may not be a good thing.

For example, Knopf Books for Young Readers will release an enhanced e-book version of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance, the fourth and final installment in his Inheritance Cycle, on October 23, 2012. As Publisher’s Weekly points out, Paolini’s enhanced e-book “includes 7 videos of Paolini’s behind-the-scenes commentary embedded throughout the text, plus the author’s never-before-seen artwork, a letter to fans, and a new scene within the text.” Although the book is aimed for younger audiences, it is obviously chalked full of very interactive features, which leads me to wonder how such an interactive experience may affect the future of book covers.

Interestingly, Betsy Morais from The Atlantic wrote an article earlier this year titled “Has Kindle Killed the Book Cover?” in which she pulled quotes from some of the industry leaders in publishing. Their opinions varied, from negative to positive to indifferent. However, a major point she brings up is that awareness of the e-book’s future has finally arisen; as Morais points out, “Digital reading is already happening, but electronic books have only barely begun to adapt to current habits and devices.”

Certainly, within the publishing industry, that is the crossroads many of us are standing at. This crossroads is not only comprised of the e-book but all the small components, the finer details, that will ultimately affect how a book is marketed. Think of an enhanced e-book cover of Lolita, for example, or The Great Gatsby. Will enhanced e-book covers supersede frozen images and start to “come to life” such as that infamous green light that Nick stares at longingly begins to actually blink at the reader?

Or, maybe, it’s not up to the publishers, but the retailers like Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Will they “shelf” the e-book versions of book covers in more sophisticated or predominant ways? As e-readers and smartphones and tablets develop, will book covers become flashier or even transform into animation, much like Paolini’s book will be using? Maybe books will just turn into apps, and the term “e-book” will be as old-fashioned as a fax machine.

Time will tell. The questions and the uncertainties keep growing exponentially, day by day. Nevertheless, for us book lovers, we need a new way of “judging a book by its cover” when it comes to e-book shopping – it’s an impulse that needs to find a cathartic release. And, in my opinion, the current set-up is just not cutting it.

Breaking Beau: Reading on the Subway

Friday, September 21st, 2012

Hi, my name is Ryan, and –with Rachel- I’m a new intern at Beaufort Books. I just moved here from a tiny rural town in South Carolina, so I guess you could say I’m “transitioning” at the current moment. However, coming from rural South Carolina and moving to the Big Apple, in addition to joining the Beaufort team, has me definitely excited for what the next few months will hold.

By “transitioning”, what I mean is that I feel like a bit of an outsider here in NYC (as happens when moving to any new place). Whether you’re in the Big Apple or not, at some point in your life, you have felt this sensation – this outsiderly feeling of being a person out of place with your environment. When I first came to NYC about a month ago, everything was new to me. For example, riding on the subway during rush hour was like being on a Disney ride – All the people grasping onto the metal rides over their heads and nonchalantly holding on while I worked as hard as possible to plant my knees firmly and dig my feet into the subway floor, to ensure I didn’t get flung into another person at the next platform stop.

Yet, with riding the subway – there was something about the whole experience that really stuck with me more than anything else, beyond just the whole phenomenon of being blasted through underground tunnels, and that was the deathly quietness of the people riding the subway.

I don’t know – call me what you will, but I for some reason had it in my head that the subways would be bustling with noise, like mini over-packed sports bars. People engaged in constant conversation: “How about the elections?” “What did you think of Breaking Bad last night?” I foresaw exotic street performers spinning on their heads while the Q train came to a halt at the Union Square stop. This is what you think of when you have lived in a rural town down South your entire life. I mean, NEW YORK IS CRAZY – LIKE…..IT’S THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS!

Instead, there I was in the subway, finding myself trying to “fit in with the crowd” as much as possible and I found myself, doing what?

Reading a book?

Yes, reading. Everyone seems to be reading – everyone might be an exaggeration, but a lot more people than I was expecting had their little e-readers or newspapers or cell phones, reading away.

And I was taken aback a little bit – to be completely honest. Okay…sure, the silence of the subway happens mainly because not a single person knows another person (Another image I had in my head before I came to the city was that people…friends and family…travel together. I don’t know why I had this image, but I did).

There was a Clint Eastwood-looking man, with unkempt hair and an unshaven face holding a warped copy of The Hunchback of Notre Dame…and a younger lady with bright red hair, leaning against the subway doors, devouring a copy of Fifty Shades of Grey. And there I was:  reading a book and fitting right into this whole reading frenzy – like a mobile coffee shop, sans the pleasant aromas.

And that doesn’t include the people I’ve seen reading while walking down the streets, crossing the streets…crossing the streets when the big red hand says STAY WHERE YOU ARE and a herd of a yellow taxis are zooming towards the reader like a swarm of angry yellow jackets…there they are, calmly, leafing through a fashion magazine or a copy of Steve Jobs…it’s like watching a man try to balance plates on his head. I just turn my head away, afraid to look.

All is fine, though. It’s New York City. It’s the rhythm of the city, the way it moves, and breathes, and let me just say: I’m happy about that. I’m happy that I can be standing in a moving metal object with a whole lot of people and just read. Yes, all of us subway-riders are very different in who we are, where we came from, how we perceive the future, etcetera. But, at the same time, a lot of us in New York are joined by the act of reading, and for someone like myself – someone who sold everything to move to NYC with the bright-eyed dream of joining publishing- that’s what makes an intern like myself see the glimmer of the future publishing industry.