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Marcela Landres Abridged
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Introducing Marcela Landres:
Marcela Landres is on a mission to change the publishing industry from the ground up. During her seven years as an editor at Simon and Schuster, Marcela recognized a disturbing disconnect between a vibrant Latino literary community and the publishing industry as a whole. Nowadays, she's committed to bridging that gap through her work as an Editorial Consultant, advising those dedicated to the craft on everything from editing a manuscript to finding an agent to getting their work in print.
At speaking engagements across the country, Marcela talks quickly and precisely, enrapturing audiences with her industry expertise on the realities of publishing and writing as a career. Marcela's advice applies to anyone and everyone dedicated to the craft and business of writing.
The lifeblood of the writing world exists within its communities, and like Marcela says, "knowledge is only power when shared."
Watch Marcela at:
http://www.colum.edu/Academics/Fiction_Writing/Publishing_Lab/Movie_Clips.php
Visit Marcela at:
www.marcelalandres.com
In Her Own Words:
On Writer's Preparing Their Manuscripts:
Well for writers thinking of working with an editorial consultant such as myself, I would recommend that before they invest their time and energy and money in hiring a professional book editor, that they first invest their time and energy and money in writing classes and also in joining writing critique groups so that they can workshop their manuscripts and polish it to the best of their ability on their own and then they'll be ready to work one on one with a professional editor.
When you've got a full-length manuscript drafted, you want to rewrite it, and rewrite it, and rewrite it, and then perhaps rewrite it again. And polish it so that the writing absolutely sings off the page, and it's a little different if they're writing fiction or nonfiction, but it has to be a page-turner. You have to engage the reader's interest so that they want to read the next page on through the end, and you want them at every second to be thinking, "What happens next? What happens next?" and then you know you've got something working for you.
On Latinos and the Publishing World:
I worked at Simon and Schuster for seven years and I worked with a lot of Latino writers when I was there, and I learned a lot not just about the Latino publishing community and writing community, but I also learned about our culture at large. One of the most important things I learned is that even though there are many Latino writers who are looking to be published and many agents who are looking to represent Latino writers to be published, they don't know how to contact each other. So one of the most important things I learned as a Latina editor working at a major publishing house is that we still live in a segregated society. So I built my website and publish my newsletter, Latinidad, specifically to act as a bridge to connect Latino writers who are looking to get published with the agents who are looking to represent them.
On Creating a Writer's Platform:
While you are honing your craft, you should also be building your platform. Then, by the time the manuscript is complete and polished, your platform will be as well. How you should build a platform depends on what kind of book you are writing--a cookbook requires a completely different platform than, say, a graphic novel. You can find general guidelines by reading "Ten Platform Building Tips."
When editors are deciding which writers and which projects they want to work with, they decide based on the strength of the author's platform, in addition to the writing quality. And a writer's platform can look very different if you are writing a self help book, or if you're writing romance, or if you're writing literary memoir, but basically it comes down to two things: who you know, and who knows you. So for instance, if you're writing a parenting book for parents who have children who have been bullied who want to help their children, it would help if you were a psychologist who specialized in counseling families with children who have been bullied, and you've been quoted in articles in major newspapers and magazines that quote you as an expert on the subject of bullying and family issues.
If you're a literary writer then a platform might look more like you've won awards for your short stories or you've had short stories published with prestigious literary journals or you've attended prestigious residencies like Breadloaf or you have graduated from a renowned MFA program. And that's pretty much what it looks like.
On Researching Agents:
Once both your manuscript and platform are ready, the next step is to research agents. Pretend you are a junior in high school and that agents are like colleges--there are zillions of them, but only a few that are a good fit for you. If you want to be a doctor, avoid colleges with sub-par pre-med departments. Likewise, if you want to publish a literary novel, avoid agents that only handle nonfiction.
The best way to research agents is Publishers Lunch Deluxe http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/lunch/ an e-newsletter that costs $20/month and is the most widely read periodical in the book business. While the subscription buys you all sorts of bells and whistles, the real gem is the database of previous deals--meaning all the books sold by agents to editors at publishing companies since 2001.
Sign up, carve out a chuck of time in your schedule, sit down at your computer, and dive into the database. Research all the agents who handle the kind of book(s) you write, and make a list. You now have a draft of your submission list!
On How to Handle Signing a Book Contract:
When an author signs a contract, there are three things that they should automatically do. The first is to build a website if they haven't already, and Nora Roberts has a great website where she built an actual community for her fans http://www.noraroberts.com/. The second is to take a significant percentage of their advance and immediately pour it back into the promotion of their book. And the third is to hire a publicist, if you can, and if you can't, learn how a publicist works so you can act on your own behalf as a publicist.
On a Few Other Online Resources:
Kristin Nelson, a savvy and successful agent, publishes a smart blog: http://pubrants.blogspot.com/
I publish a free e-newsletter, Latinidad, which highlights contests, calls for submissions and other opportunities for building a platform. It is geared towards Latinos, but writers of any background can benefit: http://www.marcelalandres.com/Newsletter.html
Marcela's Online Community:
From para mi
http://www.para-mi.net/Features/LatinaExperience/VisionaryMarcelaLandres.htm
Join Latinidad at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marcelalandres/
Researched by James Lower