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[Publisher] Angry Robot Books
- Thread starter Jamiekswriter
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About 20-25 people who submitted last year congregated on Absolute Write to commiserate/celebrate with one another. You can read the whole saga here:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199690
The current Open Door threads are here:
Angry Robot: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235722
Strange Chemistry: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240099
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199690
The current Open Door threads are here:
Angry Robot: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235722
Strange Chemistry: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=240099
Hello,
I just wanted to get people's opinion on the odd little request that they have wanting information on your social media presence.
I started this conversation at the end of this thread but thought that my concerns are probably better off here.
From what I have read on other boards (including Strange Chemistry's own) they take Social Media very seriously as they 'expect authors to help promotion'
This fills me with deep misgivings and is flashing red on my wrong meter.
This is the sort of thing I would expect from a vanity publisher - picking out submissions where the author has a very high twitter follower count etc and trying to tap into an instant, free, market at little risk.
I may be over-reacting. I am aware that they are a legit press but this worries me.
I can't help but keep to my conviction that a writer's only drive should be to their craft - not to being a sub standard marketing agent on Twitter. After all, if you are going to be spending your time doing that, you might as well use KDP and get a bigger royalty slice.
I just wanted to get people's opinion on the odd little request that they have wanting information on your social media presence.
I started this conversation at the end of this thread but thought that my concerns are probably better off here.
From what I have read on other boards (including Strange Chemistry's own) they take Social Media very seriously as they 'expect authors to help promotion'
This fills me with deep misgivings and is flashing red on my wrong meter.
This is the sort of thing I would expect from a vanity publisher - picking out submissions where the author has a very high twitter follower count etc and trying to tap into an instant, free, market at little risk.
I may be over-reacting. I am aware that they are a legit press but this worries me.
I can't help but keep to my conviction that a writer's only drive should be to their craft - not to being a sub standard marketing agent on Twitter. After all, if you are going to be spending your time doing that, you might as well use KDP and get a bigger royalty slice.
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Everyone expects authors to *help* with their promotion, whether it's a big six, er, five, or mid sized indies, or e-only. That's the condition of the market in 2013.
As was noted on the other thread, it's generally considered to be a factor, but not the only one. Any publisher will perk up if someone with 50,000 followers on Twitter or FB writes something...if it's good. But that doesn't mean they'll toss an equally good book in the round file if the author doesn't have an online presence yet.
And has there *ever* been a time when most writers could get away with only being devoted to their craft? I recall book signing and convention appearances being an expectation when I was a teenager, back when rocks were still in beta.
As was noted on the other thread, it's generally considered to be a factor, but not the only one. Any publisher will perk up if someone with 50,000 followers on Twitter or FB writes something...if it's good. But that doesn't mean they'll toss an equally good book in the round file if the author doesn't have an online presence yet.
And has there *ever* been a time when most writers could get away with only being devoted to their craft? I recall book signing and convention appearances being an expectation when I was a teenager, back when rocks were still in beta.
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I checked out the submission requirements, and they merely ask for the list of your social media presence (that would be your website, twitter, facebook, tumblr, etc.).
I don't see this as a red flag at all. They're not requiring you to have an online footprint, they just want to know if you do. I've seen little publishers require that you have X amount of twitter followers/facebook likes, etc. (Which I think is dumb.)
If you don't have any footprint on the Internet, don't list anything. Much like if you have no previous published works, you list nothing in your query for published works.
There *is* a difference between marketing and promotion. Marketing is the stuff you don't see, behind the scenes--getting books into stores. Co-op. Ads. Sending out ARCs for reviews. Etc.
Promotion is the author interacting with the world, more or less. Author probably should think about how they want to interact with the world, even if it's just a static website.
But chances are, especially with YA, that a publisher will ask you to interact with the world. Probably via guest posts and blog tours and the like. It's what the *readers* expect, like it or not.
It doesn't mean you'll have to be on twitter all the time hawking your book (in fact, please don't.)
I don't see this as a red flag at all. They're not requiring you to have an online footprint, they just want to know if you do. I've seen little publishers require that you have X amount of twitter followers/facebook likes, etc. (Which I think is dumb.)
If you don't have any footprint on the Internet, don't list anything. Much like if you have no previous published works, you list nothing in your query for published works.
There *is* a difference between marketing and promotion. Marketing is the stuff you don't see, behind the scenes--getting books into stores. Co-op. Ads. Sending out ARCs for reviews. Etc.
Promotion is the author interacting with the world, more or less. Author probably should think about how they want to interact with the world, even if it's just a static website.
But chances are, especially with YA, that a publisher will ask you to interact with the world. Probably via guest posts and blog tours and the like. It's what the *readers* expect, like it or not.
It doesn't mean you'll have to be on twitter all the time hawking your book (in fact, please don't.)
If you don't like their guidelines, then don't submit to them.
I on the other hand think its perfectly normal in today's publishing world and would be delighted beyond belief if they accepted my work.
Good luck to those that have submitted!
I on the other hand think its perfectly normal in today's publishing world and would be delighted beyond belief if they accepted my work.
Good luck to those that have submitted!
Fair enough -
I can understand wanting authors to do some promotional work, which I understand completely, but my issue is with it being part of the sub process. It just seems like it is descending into an Authonomy-style popularity contest. If they took my MS I would jump through rings of fire on Youtube for them while doing a reading - but they won't know this from checking out my twitter feed with three followers.
As a 'nobody' it galls thinking that social media klaxons have an edge.
For clarity, this issue seems to be covered in the comments on their page:
So this seems to endorse both sides. They do care about your social media presence, but it won't stop a genuinely good novel - which is what I wanted to hear.
Oh and Undercover
Thanks for the passive aggressive advice that solves nothing. Of course that is the case - but you could tell that to anyone who wants to submit to a vanity press or anyone on the avoid lists. The whole point of this thread is to sound out who you submit too.
I can understand wanting authors to do some promotional work, which I understand completely, but my issue is with it being part of the sub process. It just seems like it is descending into an Authonomy-style popularity contest. If they took my MS I would jump through rings of fire on Youtube for them while doing a reading - but they won't know this from checking out my twitter feed with three followers.
As a 'nobody' it galls thinking that social media klaxons have an edge.
For clarity, this issue seems to be covered in the comments on their page:
So this seems to endorse both sides. They do care about your social media presence, but it won't stop a genuinely good novel - which is what I wanted to hear.
Oh and Undercover
Thanks for the passive aggressive advice that solves nothing. Of course that is the case - but you could tell that to anyone who wants to submit to a vanity press or anyone on the avoid lists. The whole point of this thread is to sound out who you submit too.
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No. This is AW's Bewares Board. We critique guidelines all the time.
Sounding just a tiny bit desperate there.
Burning Quill is right. It's unusual for a publisher to want authors' social media information to accompany initial submissions. All that stuff is irrelevant unless the publisher is interested in the book; and since publishers aren't interested in about 99.5% of the submissions they receive, having to include the info is a waste of the writers' time and effort.
I think maybe it's a reaction to all the recent writer meltdowns? Anyone considering asking for the full manuscript is probably going to want to check the writer out first, to make sure they don't behave like jerkwads online - and if you get back to the writer to ask for this information, it could imply interest which you might then have to withdraw.
Sure, they could google you - but some people have very common names and they could end up looking at the wrong one!
FWIW I filled in a questionnaire that included these questions when I signed with AR, but we'd already met in person so they knew I wasn't a total crazy
Sure, they could google you - but some people have very common names and they could end up looking at the wrong one!
FWIW I filled in a questionnaire that included these questions when I signed with AR, but we'd already met in person so they knew I wasn't a total crazy
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HapiSofi, could one not say the same of an agent/press who wants a synopsis? They're far from universal these days, and they take a lot more time and effort than filling in a few fields on a form.
Anne Lyle may be right: they may simply be unwilling to deal with someone with an unfortunate online history, and they want to know about such before they get too interested. Finding out an author has a scorched-earth policy online only after a sub has gone through some review represents a waste of the publisher's time and effort, because it's impossible to undo what's been done online, as a rule.
Angry Robot's YA arm, Strange Chemistry, and crime imprint Exhibit A have folded very suddenly. Link is down right now due to high traffic.
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Yep. I was one of the first authors they signed. Crummy news. Made some great friends. I often say that I think I picked the worst time in human history to become a published author.
For YA, yeah just possibly. My sympathies.
I don't know what this means for AR's future. Saying they're going to increase output is one thing, but how many have had their confidence knocked? Will there be an open window this year?
I don't know what this means for AR's future. Saying they're going to increase output is one thing, but how many have had their confidence knocked? Will there be an open window this year?
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Yes, this sucks. I wanted to throw up yesterday when I got the call. Feeling a certain kind of way today. It will be okay, but for now it's not.
*misery*
I know it seems sudden, but I have a feeling this has been ongoing for weeks. I suddenly stopped getting replies from my editor about the final stages of my manuscript, and then the cover was over a month late. Should have known something was up.
*misery*
I know it seems sudden, but I have a feeling this has been ongoing for weeks. I suddenly stopped getting replies from my editor about the final stages of my manuscript, and then the cover was over a month late. Should have known something was up.
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I think Angry Robot will be fine. There is a strong, deadly loyal fan base for AR books. I think this was a case of too many books coming out too fast.
Saskatoonistan, Christine N., Laura, Maramoser, I'm so sorry.
I said this on Twitter and I'll say it here too -- we the readers stand with you, no matter where you go from here.
I loved SC's imprint, they had some really fresh, talented voices and the SC authors were hands-down the most lovely, pay-it-forward authors I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
I said this on Twitter and I'll say it here too -- we the readers stand with you, no matter where you go from here.
I loved SC's imprint, they had some really fresh, talented voices and the SC authors were hands-down the most lovely, pay-it-forward authors I've ever had the pleasure to meet.
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Thanks for that. I've been at this writing gig forever. There are ups and downs. I might self-publish the final POLTERGEEKS book. Lots to think about...
Sean, you'll be in good company with Kim and Laura there, those ladies will keep you right.
I just saw than SC author Jonathan (KATYA'S WORLD series) had to find out via Twitter, which is just unbelievable.
I just saw than SC author Jonathan (KATYA'S WORLD series) had to find out via Twitter, which is just unbelievable.
Awful news, Amanda and her team were doing an amazing job. Commiserations to all those involved.
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I got the email about 30 mins before the news release. Anyway ... there will be much said about it in the days to come.