Buzz, Balls & Hype

THE DOCTOR IS IN

MORE ON COMMITMENT

Last week I had lunch with a friend who is not only a gifted and successful novelist, but a savvy businessman. Among the many topics we covered during our wide-ranging conversation was the nature of my next project.

"You have to write another book on creativity!" he said.

"I've started a new novel...."

"But you have the perfect platform! Listen!" And he proceeded to outline a fascinating concept--a book I would love to read. I began to imagine such a book. I started throwing out ideas. "Brilliant!" he said. "You can sell this as a proposal. There's no way this won't be snapped up. It will be the next Blink!"

I floated out of the restaurant, a bit surprised that the waitstaff wasn't more deferential to the new Malcolm Gladwell. On the train, I opened my Moleskine to jot down a few more scintillating ideas--and found pages of notes for the novel I have been working on, sporadically, for the past two years. And my stomach sank.

I have had very good luck getting my stories and essays published. My two completed novels, on the other hand, have gone nowhere. They are too weird. They don't fit into any category that marketing departments recognize. I have told myself, repeatedly, that there is no future for me in novel writing. Friends, including my lunch companion, have encouraged me to stick to nonfiction because it is much easier to place, especially when you have a built-in platform.

And yet this novel really wants me to write it. I'm fascinated by the subject matter. Getting a grip on the topic requires extensive research--and everything I read pulls me more deeply into the story I want to tell. I find myself composing passages on the train, in the swimming pool, while washing dishes. I have pages of outline that I revise continually.

The only things holding me back from writing it full-steam are a) lack of time; and b) the conviction that I should put other, more practical projects first, because, based on history, the chances of publication are slim to none. Working on it is pure self-indulgence.

This projected nonfiction book, I told myself, did have promise. I have the background and understanding of the field to write a very good, helpful book, and the qualifications to sell it. It would be only practical to set the novel aside (again!) and work on a proposal. If it did sell, that could only help in placing my novel down the line. Right?

And yet there was that sick feeling--the one I get when I'm in danger of betraying myself, of doing what I'm "supposed to" do, according to some outside standard, instead of following my internal compass. I've done that too often in my life, and I'm trying to stop.

So I had to ask myself--did I really want to write this new book? Would I be completely committed to, and engaged in, the process? Or did I just want to have written something that had a reasonable chance of publication?

The topic interests me--I would certainly read such a book if someone else wrote it--but enough to spend years researching, writing, revising, and promoting? Years that I could use to finally get a handle on my novel? Or to live my life in other fulfilling ways?

I would love to be as successful as Malcolm Gladwell. But his books are so good because they reflect his authentic interests and enthusiasm.

Or am I just naive? Or manufacturing reasons not to take the next step?

To be continued.

Susan O'Doherty, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with a New York City-based practice. A fiction writer herself, she specializes in issues affecting writers and other creative artists. Her book,  Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: A Woman's Guide to Unblocking Creativity (Seal, 2007) is now available in bookstores. Send your questions to her at Dr.Sue at mindspring dot com.

First Chapter Writing Contest

"The Writing Show" is putting out a final call for entries for their Third-Annual 'First Chapter' contest.  Early registration deadline is May 20, 2008... with a final deadline of June 20, 2008.

For more contest details, visit here.

First Prize

• $1000
• An interview on The Writing Show
• Chapter posted on The Writing Show Web site

Second Prize

• $400
• Chapter posted on The Writing Show Web site.

Third Prize

• $300
• Chapter posted on The Writing Show Web site.

Fourth Prize

• $200
• Chapter posted on The Writing Show Web site.

Fifth Prize

• $100
• Chapter posted on The Writing Show Web site.

Plus, for 10 lucky winners, chosen at random

• 750 words of feedback

Entry fee

$25 if received online (or postmarked, if by snail mail) by early deadline of May 20, 2008
$32 if received online (or postmarked, if by snail mail) between May 21 and June 20, 2008

Life As We Know It

This is sad but true and funny. (And clearly someone forgot to tell him about AuthorBuzz.com)

Camel Has New Humps... er... books

This just in from Masha Hamilton - I'm honored to post it.

Fifteen months after it began with critical help from M.J. Rose and Susan Ito, the camel book drive has sent more than 7,000 books from authors, book festivals, libraries, bookstores, book clubs and book lovers to readers in the isolated northeastern province of Kenya. Wow! This will bolster education and literacy efforts for many years to come. Many thanks to everyone involved for building a bridge and helping bring books to this remote region.

We're not finished yet, though. Current efforts are focused on raising money so that local people can collect their folktales and traditional stories and then have them published, likely in Somali. This idea was the brainchild of a book group in Australia that read The Camel Bookmobile and then considered the best way they might help the real camel library. This will allow an area in transition to preserve and place value on traditional ways. Mr. Farah has formed a committee to spearhead this project. Be in touch if you have any questions or comments. Thanks…

Masha Hamilton
www.mashahamilton.com

Targeting

Study: Untargeted Ads Turn Off Social Net Users

This makes totally sense: “Social networking is all about linking people with common interests. For most, brands are a part of those interests. So much so that 56% of respondents to a new survey by online marketing consultancy Prospectiv, Woburn, Mass., said their social networking experience would be better if marketers pushed more targeted ads.”

Read more.

Great news

This is great news Via Galleycat: bookstores report a 1.3 percent sales increase for March, with total sales of $4.46 billion for the first three months of 2008. The increased level of sales at bookstores continues to outpace the general retail sector.

Linktopia

.A loyal reader of this blog sent this ling with an excellent question: Wonder if they have (or will have) any research on book marketing

.They might not be buying books, but they are buying. $500 million in one week buying.

.This goes along with the recent stories about taking more time away
from the electronic world

.Biz  Cards

.On Reading

THE DOCTOR IS IN

Dear Dr. Sue,
My novelistic abilities are making me crazy. The very thing that enables me to be a writer is torturing me in real life. I find that I am projecting my imagination onto already stressful situations and making them almost untenable. For instance: a family member needs surgery. I not only play out scenarios  - complete with dialog - of what it will all be like, how it will go, the possible ways it could go wrong, how I will react, how he will react, and exhaust myself emotionally.  I spend untold hours trying to imagine what the family member is thinking, inventing a depression and then playing that out to its disastrous ends. I picture him going through untold tortures. I can see it all! I write the scenes. I know how to do that. I make my living doing it. I try to write the other scenarios - the positive ones - but keep going back to the scary ones. It's as if I am luxuriating in the terrible drama of our lives that I am scripting. And making myself anxious and exhausted.

How do I turn my writer's mind off?

A Writer, through and through

Dear Writer,

Your letter provides a vivid example of the pitfalls of the creative imagination. I think most writers have suffered the stress of living through fantasy scenarios that are much worse than the real-life situation. Some of us are able to find relief in scripting a more hopeful series of events; others--especially in such difficult circumstances as you describe--find that the effort to focus on the positive feels false and even frightening.

Many of us have had the experience of being blindsided by a tragic or frightening event. Sometimes we respond with an unconscious resolve never to be surprised by bad news again. Thus, when we confront a potentially dangerous situation, our impulse--often mysterious to us--is to project the worst, often in excruciating detail. Your sense of "luxuriating in the terrible drama" may actually be an expression of your psyche's desire to take care of you by preparing you for the most dire outcome imaginable.

As you have experienced, this "technique," however well intentioned, serves only to deepen your anxiety and to drain energy that would be better used caring for yourself and your relative. Since you have been unable to divert this creative energy to happier images, you may wish to try an exorcism.

Write down the horror story in your head. Include the most dire, terrifying details that come into your mind. Illustrate it if you wish. Don't worry about literary quality, but be sure to describe your nightmare as completely and accurately as you can.

When you're finished, take the manuscript to a fire-safe place. Crumple each page, saying aloud as you do so, "I release these ideas. They no longer have power over me." (You may feel silly, but do it anyway--voicing intentions is much more powerful than just thinking them.) Then burn the pages. If you have saved the story on your computer, delete the file. Resolve to be done with negative scenarios.

Then, try to stay in the present. This is not easy to do, especially for a novelist, but it is probably a more realistic goal than substituting a sugarplum fantasy for your worst nightmare. Focus on what you see, right now, in front of you. Are there small (or large) ways you can help? If you think you see signs of depression, ask the family member what might make him feel better. Stay with him, in the moment, realizing that this is all any of us can really be sure of, and use your writer's imagination to find ways to make the most of it.

Be sure to keep up with your own self-care routines as well. It's easy to let these slide as we become immersed in others' more pressing issues--but regular exercise, a healthy diet, and, especially, sufficient sleep can help stabilize your moods and enable you to be more fully present.

Susan O'Doherty, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with a New York City-based practice. A fiction writer herself, she specializes in issues affecting writers and other creative artists. Her book,  Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: A Woman's Guide to Unblocking Creativity (Seal, 2007) is now available in bookstores. Send your questions to her at Dr.Sue at mindspring dot com.

The Ad Man Answers #34

Thursday + Gregory Huffstutter = The Ad Man Answers

Q: What commission is considered standard in print ad biz vs. the web ad biz vs. the radio ad biz?  Do some ad folks work entirely on commission?

-- JA Konrath, Chicago

A:   Nowadays, advertising agencies rarely work off the old “standard commission” model.

Standard commission used to be 15% of the total cost of the media buy.  So if a TV network, radio station, magazine, newspaper, or billboard company was charging $10,000 for a media schedule, they'd sell it to an accredited agency for $8,500, and that agency would keep the difference ($1,500) as their fee.

In advertising terms, the $10,000 media schedule would be called the “Gross” cost… and the $8,500 charge (after taking out the commission) would be called the “Net” fee.

This process is similar to how interior designers get discounts on home furnishings that are not available to the general public.  Media vendors are motivated to give this 15% commission to agencies because they’re the ones holding the purse strings on their clients’ ad budgets.  The more TV and radio stations play ball with the big agencies, the more future business might flow their way – sometimes from multiple accounts on the agency’s roster. 

But several things worked to destroy the old commission structure.  First, the advertising business became more competitive, with some agencies agreeing to take less than the standard commission to win new business.  For example, if it was a really big client, the agency might agree to only keep 11% of the commission, then rebate 4% to the client.

That led to agencies “unbundling” their departments in order to cut overhead.  So instead of “full-service” agencies – which offer creative work, account planning, media buying, commercial trafficking, and research under one roof – you started seeing companies specialize in one thing, like media buying.  Thus, purchasing advertising space became like shopping at Costco – where you generated more savings by buying in bulk. 

Meanwhile, a wave of mergers hit the advertising landscape, as large conglomerates bought up ailing shops in order to share resources (like back-room accounting), leverage media spending, and provide a Chinese menu of client services.  There are now 6 holding companies, like Omnicom, that control a large share of the global advertising and PR spending.

The fallout of all this unbundling and merging is that everyone now charges something different.  A client like Burger King might have a media buying agency that works for 2% of their gross media spending, while having a brand-planning consultant on retainer, then paying a flat annual fee to a separate creative boutique.

From a client’s perspective, the benefit to paying a flat agency fee instead of commission %:

• You’ll know in advance what you need to set aside for annual fees
• You don’t have to worry about your advertising agency overestimating media budgets just to beef up their fees

From a client’s perspective, the benefit to paying off commission % instead of a flat fee:

• It’s usually an invisible cost, since the agency fee is theoretically covered by the difference between the Gross and Net invoices
• If you end up trimming your advertising budget, your agency fees will decrease proportionally

From an agency’s perspective, the benefit to getting paid a flat agency fee instead of commission %:

• More stability in matching overhead vs. fixed revenue
• Can be more dispassionate when setting media spend levels with client, instead of constantly justifying recommendations and worrying about budget cuts

From an agency’s perspective, the benefit to getting paid off commission % instead of a flat fee:

• As media budgets rise, compensation increases… so you’re sharing in your client’s success

Internet is the one media form that came along after the old commission model.  So online media vendors generally work in NET and do not have commissionable rates.  To buy certain online banner ads, you don’t even need to hire an advertising agency, just fire up your computer and download free software. 

To sum up… if I’m a freelance media buyer, and I need to place one newspaper ad for my client, and I know in advance I will get paid a flat fee of $500 to do that job, the conversation might sound like this:

Me:  “So what’s the cost for a half-page, full-color ad in your Metro section?”

Newspaper: “$9,000.”

Me:  “Is that commissionable?”

Newspaper: “Yes.”

Me:  “Would you sell it to me for $8,200 instead?  I once got a beer coaster signed by James Patterson.  I could mail it to you.”

Newspaper:  “I love James Patterson!  You sure drive a tough bargain…  $8,200 it is.”

Me:  “So that’s $8,200 Gross, which translates to $6,970 Net.”  (less 15%)

Newspaper:  “Correct.  Would you like to get invoiced in Gross or Net?”

Me: “Net.” (because I’m getting paid on a flat fee instead of commission)

So the newspaper would send me a Net invoice for $6,970, which I would then add on $500 for my fee before sending a final bill to the client for $7,470... which is considerably cheaper than the $9,000 the client might've been charged if they'd tried placing the ad on their own.

And that’s how advertising gets negotiated.  Once signed beer coaster at a time.

 

Gregory Huffstutter has been punching Ad Agency timecards for the past decade, working on accounts like McDonald's, KIA Motors, and the San Diego Padres. He recently finished his first mystery, KATZ CRADLE and is currently on submission. The first 100 pages of his novel are linked here. For general advertising questions, leave a comment or send e-mail to katz @ gregoryhuffstutter dot com with 'Ask The Ad Man' in the subject line.

NYCC,NYC DOE, BEA, ALA, SDCC and when do we sleep?

It's Starting to Feel Like a Marathon!

I'm not quite sure I have really recovered from the New York Comic Con. The event was three times larger than the first one which happened only three years ago.  I dont know if the final tally is in yet but I hear attendance was between 60,000 to 70,000 people.  There were some grumblings that it was happening so close to Passover but we also had the Pope come to town for a gig at Yankees stadium.  NYC and pandemonium, can it really get any better?

Congratulations to Lance Fensterman, Jay Williams and Mark Dressler for their efforts.  Passover weekend was really the only slot available for the Javits to hold an event of that scale and the guys from Reed did a pretty good job.  Sure there were a few burps in programming but when you run something on that scale and it's really only in it's infancy, there are bound to be growing pains.   

Kudos also go out to Janna Morishima and the other folks behind the panel programming.  There were a great deal more programs aimed at professional development than we had last year.  There were plenty of fan programs and publisher panel events.  To me, it seemed like just about every base was covered.   

The highlight for me had to be the Comics in The Classroom panel.  Alex Simmons, Peter Gutierrez,Lisa von Drasek, librarian at Bank Street School, and Kent Worcester, professor at Marymount Manhattan College all did a fantastic job of describing the value of using comics and graphic novels in any educational setting.  Alex spoke to how he could use Iron Man to teach kids about science (retro rockets, cooling agents etc..) and sociology.  He nailed it with a perfect 5 minute summary.

THE best thing any publisher, author or editor can do at one of these conventions is to sit in on a program to hear just exactly how teachers and librarians use your books.   It is seriously mind altering.  If you want to make better books or sell more books-do not miss out on any presentation that is run by these folks.

Giving Good Panel
Ok, I dont know if anyone has ever addressed this before but, should you find your self invited to moderate a panel, please do your home work and ask good questions!  We have all sat in on a program where you could actually hear the paint peeling from the wallls.  This is because the moderator just wasnt prepared.  So, moderator person-talk with your panelists.  Prime them.  Ask them what kind of questions they would like to hear as well.  It will help you give good panel.  So good that people will want to....well light one up and celebrate.

That Comics in the Classroom panel was seriously good panel.

NJLA, BEA, ALA and The NYC Dept of Education!

Have you ever been to Long Branch, New Jersey?  What a place!  I was there with Bill Barnes of www.Unshelved.com doing a presentation on selecting Anime and Manga for the New Jersey Public Library Association.   It's great to see that the rooms continue to fill with even more people in the audience.  Thanks again to Sophie Brookover of www.popgoesthelibrary.com and the folks at the NJLA for inviting me to come speak. 

Now, Book Expo is only a week or two away and the trip to the west coast is looming.  After NYCC I feel like I need to get out of the water and take a nap before the next major surf contest starts.  Book Expo has announced a day of graphic novel programming and that is pretty exciting news.  We get some ten panels and workshops on the subject.  It all kicks off with the Graphic Novel Authors Breakfast featuring some fantastic talent.  Jeff Smith who created Bone will moderate.  Art Speigelman, the Pulitzer Prize winning creator of Maus will be on the panel as well as Jeph Loeb, a comic creator and creative force behind the hit television series Heroes will join in as will Mike Mignola.  Mignola is the genius behind the Hellboy graphic novel series and movies.  Seating is very limited so click here to register to http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/en-us/registernow.cfm.

After Book Expo there is the American Library Association show which will take place in Anaheim.  The summer show is usually a pretty good time with plenty of panels and a lot more foot traffic on the show floor than what we see during the Mid-winter event.   

NYC Department of Education and Graphic Novels. 

Yesterday was a moment that I will mark as a high point for the graphic novel movement in education.  The people at the New York City Department of Education have invited me and my counterpart, Janna Morishima to do in-service presentations to public school librarians in the five boroughs.  My first gig was in Harlem and it was just amazing.   This was an opportunity to provide these librarians with an historical perspective of the format and an understanding of how we reached this moment.

This will culminate with a great day of programming for all of the librarians in the NYC schools in the fall.   This is, as far as I am aware, the first time a city and school system of this size, has formally embraced graphic novels as valuable reading tools.  Such a great moment.

Teachers can rock like the librarians.
I got a note from Kai-Ming Cha(Library Journal) on my last column where she says "Real acceptance may begin when the average classroom teacher doesn't scold a child for reading a graphic novel or comic book. This day will come."  Yes, it will.  In deed it will come very soon!

Ok, there's a lot more to tell you about but that will have to wait for the next posting: Miami Beach, Jimmy Gownley and one really damned good reason for graphic novel publishers to apply age ranges to their books.

John Shableski works for Diamond Book Distributors as a sales manager with a focus on the independent bookstore market, public and school libraries.  He's been a panelist at Book Expo, a moderator for library panels at the New York Comic Con, a guest speaker at library events, regional book shows and a symposium coordinator. He is currently collaborating on several graphic novel symposiums across the country.  He can be reached via email at shjohn@diamondbookdistributors.com