Before and After the Book Deal

September 30, 2019
This witty, quirky guide to writing books as a profession, from novelist Maum (Touch), manages to be both funny and informative. Loaded with anecdotes and advice from her own career and from writer friends and acquaintances of hers, it provides a comprehensive guide to writing and selling books, from getting started and making time to write, to understanding book deals, to managing one’s emotions post-publication. Maum’s approach is eclectic and subjective, which makes the book uneven in places. Her opening section on the craft of writing offers little that hasn’t been said elsewhere; similarly, her section toward the end about whether writers should pursue an academic job unsurprisingly warns against the dangers of adjunct or visiting professor status. At best, however, Maum gives an insider’s take on the path to becoming a published writer. She explains why one shouldn’t feel bad about not earning back an advance, how destructive checking sales figures on Amazon can be to the writer’s ego, and how to manage the various woes of book tours, among other subjects. Maum’s book should prove invaluable to new writers seeking advice and support in navigating their first publication. Agent: Rebecca Gradinger, Fletcher & Company.

October 1, 2019
A seasoned writer offers advice on "the professionalization of creativity." Novelist and founder of the learning collaborative The Cabins, Maum (Costalegre, 2019, etc.) mines her own experiences as an author, as well as advice and anecdotes from editors, publicists, literary agents, and other writers, to offer a sensible and brightly encouraging guide to publishing. Maum covers just about everything a first-time author needs to know: how to make time to write, learn to revise, deal with rejection, find an agent, choose a publisher, and juggle the many tasks involved in promotion. With warmth and candor, she addresses the emotional stresses and "existential ups and downs" that buffet many writers and responds to myriad questions that novice writers ask, from whether to go to book parties to whether to enroll in an MFA program. What about multiple submissions? Or self-publishing? Or deciding if an advance is fair? How crucial is it to have an agent? "It is very, very hard to get a book published," admits the author, but getting a contract is not the end of the process: There are editorial revisions to consider, a publishing team (designer, publicist, copy editor, sales and marketing departments) to work with, blurbs to request, social media connections to make, and a publicity campaign to get rolling. Maum offers useful information about the different kinds of publishing houses, including micropresses, nonprofit independent presses, for-profit independent houses, midhouse publishers, and the Big Five. "Many writers--myself included," Maum writes, "toggle between commercial and independent houses based on the nature of the book that's up to bat." Once a book is published, pressures don't abate. For example, anticipating and reading reviews can generate "elation, doubt, despair, pervasive unease, and bolts of white-hot pride." Maum cautions writers to tamp down their expectations of having a "break out" book that sells tens of thousands of copies. Most debuts, she reveals, perform conservatively (under 5,000 copies). She also advises authors to read only professional reviews, not "the reviews of overcaffeinated strangers who just want to vent online." A valuable companion for aspiring writers.

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Starred review from November 1, 2019

In this readable, well-organized how-to by Maum (I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You), the author draws on her publication experiences to distill what she learned into a useful guide for would-be writers publishing either fiction or nonfiction. The book is organized in two parts: before and after the book deal. Maum starts at the very beginning, before a writer signs a contract; she encourages writers to finish that project they've worked on indefinitely (developing their voice, revising) and then discusses how to get the book "out there" and how to deal with rejection. Next, she covers finding an agent, negotiating an advance, dealing with contracts, working with an editor and others at the publishing house, promotional activities, book clubs, social media, and more. Far from dry and dusty, this account is laced with humor not for its own sake but to make a point--eschewing "perfectionism," Maum claims, "bad writing is the only way you're going to start writing well." VERDICT Highly recommended for anyone who thinks they have a book in them.--Edward B. Cone, New York

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 1, 2019
In this nuts-and-bolts guide, accomplished author Maum (Costalegre, 2019) explains the journey of publishing from the Word-document manuscript to the remainder pile. Maum interviewed more than 150 authors and industry experts to provide varying perspectives on the process. The first part covers the habit of writing and the wade into the query trenches, while the second gives sound advice on surviving the aftermath of a sale. Maum highlights topics such as dealing with rejection, the big MFA decision, financial planning, blurbs, reviews, and book tours. Her style is infectious, too?the reader gets an insight on what it's like to be a real-life working writer, while also feeling close to the author and laughing along with her. This book is invaluable for the serious writer who is dedicated to publication, the rare title that's both a reference manual and a page-turner. A core choice for public library collections, and a logical next step for budding writers who have consumed Stephen King's On Writing (2000), Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird (1995), and Chuck Wendig's Damn Fine Story (2017).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)