So you want to write a book about art? Interview with Lisa Hunter
September 14th, 2006
I want to expand my blog Art & Perception as a book. Lisa Hunter, author of The Intrepid Art Collector, gave me some excellent advice.
Karl Zipser: We bloggers write what we want to write and act as our own publishers. When you want to publish a book, how does this affect what you can write about?
Lisa Hunter: Writers don’t like to hear this, but commercial publishers really want evidence that the book will sell. They’ll want to know if the author has a “platform” (i.e. whether he/she gives seminars, has a TV show, writes a syndicated newspaper column, etc.) They’ll also want to know what the readership demographic is, and what opportunities for PR exist. And they’ll want a “competition analysis,” which lists all similar books and explains why this one is different or better. At big commercial publishers, the marketing people can be just as important as editors in deciding what books to publish!
Karl: Are books about art a special case with respect to publishing?
Lisa: A major factor with art books is how expensive they are to produce. Color illustrations raise the printing costs substantially (and this is on top of reproduction rights fees.) Oftentimes, a book proposal is shot down because the book would cost so much that few people would buy it. I know this from personal experience. Recently, I had a great idea for a coffee table book that several editors loved, but no one could see how it would be profitable. Sigh.
Karl: Tell me about the writing process itself. Did you write your book first and then look for a publisher?
Lisa: Non-fiction is unique, in that you don’t have to write the book until you have a contract with a publisher. Acceptance is typically based on a proposal, outline and sample chapter. An agent who believes in your project — and who knows what publishers are looking for — is a HUGE help in getting editors to take the project seriously.
Karl: So you get the agent and editors to believe in you with a great proposal, etc, and then . . .
Lisa: Of course, once you have the contract, you actually have to write the book, and if you’ve never written anything 300+ pages before, that can be intimidating. When I was writing The Intrepid Art Collector, I was lucky because the chapters were all stand-alone. I could work on them one-at-a-time, as if I were writing magazine articles. After a while, I had my 80,000 words. For a more narrative type of book, an outline is critical to stay on track. And when writer’s block and deadlines build up stress, I recommend chocolate.
September 14th, 2006 at 3:46 am
Lisa, one follow-up question. You mention that publishers are keen to know about an author’s “platform”. In your case, was that you blog? [I post Lisa’s answer below.]
September 14th, 2006 at 3:48 am
Good question, but no, the blog came later. My husband, Alex Epstein, has a popular screenwriting blog called Complications Ensue (www.complicationsensue.blogspot.com), and he seemed to be having so much fun that I decided to join the blogosphere too.
In the case of The Intrepid Art Collector, my “platform” was that I’d been an art publicist, so I had media contacts and relationships with galleries and museums. But other people do get book contracts from their blogs. For example, my husband’s first book was based on his website (back in pre-blog days), and for his new book, Crafty TV Writing, his blog was definitely part of his platform because it’s widely read by the type of people who would buy his book.
September 14th, 2006 at 4:22 am
From the experience of my late wife I can say that Lisa is right on. The thing that has to be stressed is getting a GOOD agent. This is not easy. Most of the active agents are listed in a book that comes out each year called ‘Guide to Literary Agents’. It gives info about their track record and what kind of books they deal with. Agents are usually mentioned by authors in their books so look in books that are sort of like the one you are going to write and see who the agent was and look him or her up in the Guide.
The thing to remember is that no one in publishing likes to read much so you have to sell yourself to the agent in a short letter, called a a query letter, that describes your book idea and your qualifications. The query letter is the key to getting noticed by the agent and getting their interest. It has to put your most interesting ideas right up front in an attention catching way. No one will read it past the first or second paragraph unless it says something really interesting right away. No effort should be spared on this query letter. When you have a good one and a chapter and maybe an outline you can pick about 50 agents from the book and do a mass mailing to all of them. There are some slight differences in what they say they want, but it is really the query letter that they will read first. If they like it they will write or call soon and ask for anything more that they want.
If you have got the attention of one reputable agent you will probably hear from a few more, so don’t jump at the first one. Check them out and talk to them and then make your decision.
September 14th, 2006 at 11:34 am
Karl and Lisa….thanks for the interview…Lisa I have been meaning to get your book but ofcourse i haven’t yet. Davi….good info. This matches what I have seen in my own research. It looks rather daunting to get a book published.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Having an interesting idea (or rather an expandable interesting idea, since it’d be fair to say that a single sentence wouldn’t a book make) would be only the first step [sic … it’s my impression that not all that many worthwhile ideas become focused in the minds of capable individuals; therefore, since ‘only’ is often used to indicate a simple step, using the word ‘only’ in this context could be misinterpreted]. But, I ramble. I truly enjoy discovering the nuts-and-bolts of the inner workings of life’s happenings. I suppose that I assumed that having one’s own book reach the bookstore shelves would be complex, but hadn’t realized the level of complexity and the amount of behind the scenes activity required (analyzing and contacting 50 agents would, it seems, be a real time commitment).
On a non-downer note (I assume doing all the necessary leg work wouldn’t be the most thrilling part of writing a book), it is clear to me that you (Karl) have the ideas and talent to become a successful writer.
Bon voyage.
September 14th, 2006 at 1:17 pm
Lisa’s proposal = Davi’s query letter, I presume. Davi says this letter is the key, to put a very big effort into it — especially the first two paragraphs.
Then you have an outline and a first chapter.
The 50 agents you select from a book. You only really have to seriously analyze the ones that contact you, right?
If this is done properly you get a chance for a contract and an advance on the book. To be honest, that does not sound all that terrible. From the interview, Lisa seems to say that the real challenge comes when “you actually have to write the book”. But if you have the contract, you have some security and motivation.
A long and complex process, but broken into clear stages, especially the beginning.
September 15th, 2006 at 1:14 am
Lisa and Karl, what is this obsession with publishing a book? Why isn’t publishing on a blog good enough? You say that publishers take away your freedom to choose the topic. Why give that up? Is it a matter of money? Prestige? Okay, nothing wrong being concerned with these… but is web publishing not a suitable path? Karl, you’re supposed to be an artist. Do you really think writing a book is something to do in your spare time, or do you plan to stop painting?
September 15th, 2006 at 5:11 am
Bob P, Thanks for your confidence in me. I’ll try to live up to it.
SP, to begin with the question of freedom, writing a blog is not as unconstrained as it seems. The readers and their comments do in subtle ways influence what gets written on a day to day basis. When writing a book, one has a longer time for solitary creative work (“writing with the door closed”), which can (perhaps) lead to greater freedom of expression. I think this might be what I am looking for in writing a book. But for a longer effort like this, it is important to have a solid goal. Publishing the work can be such a goal. As for writing and painting, I think they are complementary activities. Of course, there are only 24 hours in a day. Making a good schedule is important. I think that writing about art and doing art will support one another and give more purpose to one another. We shall see . . .
September 15th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
What a delightful interview thanks Lisa and Karl for this I love seeing interviews on blogs very exciting. And some serious things to think about if you want to publish/write a book. I’m going to link this….
October 6th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Thanks for all the great feedback.
SP — I didn’t feel at all hindered by having book rather than a blog. The publisher didn’t choose my topic — I did. The trick of getting a contract is to find a publisher who shares your vision.
I did self-censor some of the dishier things about the contemporary art market, but I wouldn’t put them on my blog either! I think the book will help people more than my blog because collectors can take the book with them when they go shopping for art; each chapter has a checklist of things to look for and look out for (whether you’re buying a painting, print, tribal piece, photograph, or whatever).