the ladies of simon and schuster send their love
by kathryn magendie

If you are an avid reader of WNC WOMAN, you have already met Joan Medlicott, author of the Ladies of Covington series (starting with The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love) set in Madison County, NC. In this issue focusing on women and writing, we thought it would be a good idea to interview Joan again along with the team of women she works with: her editor (Micki Nuding) and publicist (Anne Dowling) at Simon and Schuster, and her agent (Irene Goodman). We asked Kathryn Magendie, who is moving towards the publication of her own first novel, to find out a bit about the process. -ed.

Joan Medlicott
Author
Barnardsville, NC

Joan, you have published nine books: one non-fiction, Celibate Wives Breaking the Silence; five Ladies of Covington novels with the sixth coming out this June; one non-ladies novel; the Three Mrs. Parkers; and, three self-published books targeted for and selling to tourists in the Virgin Islands. How does that feel? Does it feel like success?

JM: In my opinion writing and being published is an uncertain and often difficult business. There is no guarantee of anything, so I deem it a success when an author finishes a book, gets an agent, gets a publisher, or self-publishes, and sees his or her work in print.

You conceived the idea for your first book while in the bathtub. Tell us about that. And, if I may be so bold, how old were you when you published your first book?

JM: Sixty—I was sixty with the self-published books and the non-fiction book.
And 64 when the first Ladies of Covington novel was published. I was lying in the tub and the ladies’ story started coming in my head and kept coming. I started that novel on trust and faith alone, without a plot, without anything. Since things unfold for me, ideas, projects, whatever I am working on, I simply trusted that this novel would also, and it did.

How did you get from bathtub to novel to agent to publishing your novel? Tell us about the process, and how long it took to get there.

JM: It took two-and-a-half years to write the first Ladies novel and eight months to write the second, and several months to secure an agent. She placed the novel within a month, and it was another year before publication. The process from the complete and edited novel, to selecting several (as many as 25) agents to query with a well-conceived query letter, is clearly defined in ‘how to’ books on getting published. I urge the use of such a book, for there is a clear-cut process involved, and suggest that writers follow this process, step by step and not seek short cuts. I would also suggest using an agent who has been in the business for many years and hopefully has a large network of editors. Publishers and editors usually depend on agents to screen material for them and do not welcome unsolicited manuscripts.

How did you know your agent would be right for you?

JM: After 24 rejections, when an agent said she wanted to represent me, I jumped at it. I wonder if anyone knows who will be ‘right’ for them? She took a great interest in my work, my ideas, and I appreciated that, but I wouldn’t have known what I liked or needed from an agent. If you find the chemistry isn’t right between you and your agent, you can change. A new author might want to ask the agent what their policy is if this should be the case and one of you wants to make a change later on.

What did you do when you received your first check for your first book? Tell us, Joan—did you dance around the room? Did you call all your friends?

JM: I honestly don’t remember. Probably told my family and close friends.

And, if I can get a bit indelicate here, speaking of money – how much can writers realistically expect to make from the sale of their novel(s)?

JM: The more advance a publisher pays an author, and especially if its’ in the six figure range, the more PR they are going to do. Many authors, however, get anywhere from $7,000-$10,000-$25,000 for a first novel. The money is doled out in three parts. I’d say that unless they choose to make you a best seller and they have the power to do this, or Oprah selects your book, or you luck out with a movie or TV program, the income is sporadic and you may never get any money from royalties.

You have a “circle of women” to support you; and you support them. Not only are your agent and editor women, but you are involved in many activities which support and embrace women who have reached a time in their lives where they are willing to take risks, to say, “This is who I am, like it or not.” Tell us about some of these endeavors, and a bit about how the publishing industry has changed for women “of a certain age.”

JM: For many years I belonged to a small writers group and this has been invaluable. Not all the members of this group were women. I belong to a small intimate Red Hat group all of whose members are writers–not all novelists. The interests and focus of the publishing industry is ever changing. Most recently my agent told me that there is a great interest in paranormal fiction and si fi and historical novels. With the baby boomers turning 60, there is an interest in novels about and for women over 60.

Your books are called “Matron Lit,” targeting readers of baby boomer age—which is a growing demographic. How do you feel about this term? And, are you proud to be a voice for this age group where the heroine can be no younger than forty-eight? Do you sometimes think, “It’s about time it is our time.”

JM: I started writing about women over 60 years before the term Matron Lit term was born. I write about issues of our time as they affect older women, younger women, people, like being a caretaker, grief and loss, illness, children and family issues, scams, environmental issues and more. I think some publishers have “discovered” mature women. I’ve never had that feeling, it’s our time, as you put it. Rosamund Pilcher wrote The Shell Seekers about thirty years ago. She’s always had mature women heroines. And let’s not forget Miss Marple.

Authors must do a fair amount of marketing to publicize their books. Can you tell us about that? Who sets your schedule? And, if I may ask, who pays for trips and marketing supplies?

JM: It comes as a shock to many new authors, that once the book is published you must do much work to keep it alive and selling. Because most publishers allocate very few dollars to you and me, they categorize us by area of the country. Chain stores are selective with the authors they push and the publisher focuses on the Independent Bookstore in your own state and neighboring states. Bless the Independent Bookstores. They have helped so many of us, given us a forum in which to speak about and sell our books and by recommending our books.

Sometimes, in the first few months, the publisher assigns a publicist who sets up appointments for you with Independents near by or if they do not, you make your own contacts. I am very good at calling and setting up talks and signings, and initially I had a publicist who very much disliked my taking the initiative. I guarantee you, unless you have a book that becomes a best seller accidentally, by word of mouth, soon you are very much on your own, and you will work long and hard to keep your book afloat. The publisher may assign x amount of dollars to your book and that’s it. So you may have help financially with travel initially, but there will come a time when you are probably going to be on your own.

I would like to make a suggestion : If at all possible do some research, and before you write consider targeting a market. My Virgin Island ghost story book never lacks buyers in the Caribbean, and there are catalogs in the US, like Invisible Ink, dedicated to books about ghosts and hauntings.

My friend and colleague, Celia Miles, writes novels about the restoration or other involvement with old mills. Sharon McCrumb’s new novel is set in the world of Nascar Racing. Civil War buffs always buy novels about the Civil War. Use your imagination. Do some research, and whether you are self-published or not, Book Fairs and Festivals offer a fine venue for selling books.

While in your travels, what kinds of comments do you get which make you the most proud of what you’ve done as an author, and as important, as a woman in this competitive field of writing to publish?

JM: When people buy one, then return to buy many more of my books. When women tell me about this or that event, emotion, or incident in a book with which they identified, or when a woman tells or writes to me to say that at a time of stress, grief, illness, loss, or change, my books helped get them through it.

Do you have a writers’ group you are involved with? If so, is it the critiquing process, or the camaraderie that you enjoy?

JM: Both the friendships and the critiquing have been invaluable. I urge writers to belong to a writers group.

What is the best advice you give to aspiring writers?

JM: Do not give up. Do not fear rejection. Have infinite patience and perseverance.

Do join a writers group. Don’t be afraid of criticism. Keep on learning. Keep on reading. Keep on hoping.

What are you working on now?

JM: The seventh ladies novel, to be published in 2008. I have completed Book Six, which will be out this June called Two Days After the Wedding, Max and Hannah’s of course. I have completed a Mothers Day novel for the spring of 2007 and a non-ladies novel called The Mountains are Dancing for fall of 2007. I am working on proposals for other two non-ladies novels.

Do you do much editing or revising?

JM: I begin with dialogue and move plot along with dialogue. I go back and fill in, put the flesh on the bones, so to speak. I visual the scene and ask myself what the character sees, feels, smells, hears, or and touches and I fill in the details. I enjoy editing my work. Some writers might find it a chore, and every writer has his or her process and methods, but I cannot imagine that they do not edit, or revise scenes, or rewrite whole sections. It’s all part of the writing process.

Micki Nuding
Senior Editor
Pocket Books
Simon & Schuster, Inc, NY NY

Tell us a bit about your background. For example, what prepared you for your job? Did you have to start at the “bottom and work your way up?”

MN: I definitely worked my way up—twice! After starting out in medical publishing, I decided to change fields to work with the sort of books I loved to read, and began all over again as an editorial assistant to learn how trade publishing works. I was probably the world’s oldest editorial assistant, which has now made me the perfect age to do books like Joan’s, oriented toward baby boomers.

What do you love most about your work?

MN: What I love most is being pulled into a good manuscript, seeing how great it could be, and then helping the author reach that—that’s immensely exciting and fulfilling.

What do you find most frustrating?

MN: So many books to read, so little time!

If you could give advice to aspiring novelists, what would you share with them?

MN: Write because you love it; success can come at any age and regardless of your background; and remember that publishing is a business.

What do you want aspiring novelists to most understand about the business?

MN: That there needs to be an audience for us to sell your story to: if there’s not a clear and/or large enough potential audience, we can’t profitably publish the book. With genre fiction—romance, mystery, sf/fantasy, thriller—the audience is easily identifiable. Selling general fiction is less straightforward.

Do you find first-time writers have a more difficult time listening to advice regarding their manuscripts than seasoned writers?

MN: I haven’t found that to be the case. I think openness to input from others’ expertise has more to do with someone’s personality than with their career stage.

How do editor, agent, publisher, publicist, and writer work together harmoniously?

MN: Lots of communal emails, so everyone’s in the loop!

And, in relation to the previous question: As a team of women, do you feel being women gives you all an advantage in working with each other? And, as well, is there something satisfying about women working together for the good of the whole?

MN: I do feel there’s an advantage. Since women generally share a similar communication style, as well as a cooperative rather than competitive work style, things progress more smoothly and productively. And since I’m one of four sisters, working mostly with women fits me very comfortably!

Anne E. Dowling Publicity
Pocket Books & Downtown Press
Simon & Schuster, Inc, NY NY

What do you love most about your work?

AD: I love how enthusiastic most writers are about the publishing process. It is wonderful to go to a bookstore with an author and see how excited they to see their finished book for sale. It is also very inspiring to work with so many creative and intelligent women (most of the authors I work with are women), many of whom have become a writing success while pursuing another career or raising a family.

What do you find most frustrating?

AD: One of the most frustrating aspects of being a publicist is when there is little to no media interest in a book that I think is wonderful. I am constantly trying to come up with new ways to get people excited about fiction and combat what seems to be a growing sense of apathy. The book market is also so flooded with titles that making a book stand out in the crowd is quite a challenge.

How do editor, agent, publisher, publicist, and writer work together harmoniously?

AD: As with any good relationship, communication is the key to functioning well as a team. As long as everyone is one the same page and sharing information regularly, things usually go very smoothly.

And, in relation to the previous question: As a team of women, do you feel being women gives you all an advantage in working with each other? And, as well, is there something satisfying about women working together for the good of the whole?

AD: I think as women there is a sense of camaraderie that helps us work well together. Being comfortable in a working environment really fosters creativity and productivity.

Irene Goodman
Joan Medlicott's Agent

Tell us a bit about your background. For example, what prepared you for your job? Did you have to start at the “bottom and work your way up?”

IG: I started as an editorial asst. for a publisher. My next job was working for an agent. He was very generous and gave me my first 6 clients. After that, I built it from there and went on my own a year later.

What do you love most about your work?

IG: I love the independence. I considered becoming an editor, but that would mean sitting in a lot of meetings and playing a lot of office politics. This way, if I want to do something, I just do it.

What do you find most frustrating?

IG: Most frustrating is the tendency of publishers to jump onto bandwagons, glut the market, and then abandon good authors when the books don’t sell. They tend to have a herd mentality and they seldom take risks.

If you could give advice to aspiring novelists, what would you share with them?

IG: Study the market and know where your book fits. But at the same time, do something original and bold. The trick is to be fresh and different while still staying in some kind of recognizable mold.

What do you want aspiring novelists to most understand about the business?

IG: That it is indeed a business, and that first novels, unless very unusual or brilliant, will get more attention from a smart author who self-promotes than from the publisher.

Do you find first-time writers have a more difficult time listening to advice regarding their manuscripts than seasoned writers?

IG: No, not really. New authors are hungry for information. I think the ones who have the most trouble are the ones who know a little but are still learning. They tend to think they know more than they do.

How do editor, agent, publisher, publicist, and writer work together harmoniously?

IG: Once a book is sold, everyone should work harmoniously. Everyone is on the same team. The best way to achieve this is to work from a positive base. Everyone wants the book to sell. With a good attitude all around, this is much more likely.

And, in relation to the previous question: As a team of women, do you feel being women gives you all an advantage in working with each other? And, as well, is there something satisfying about women working together for the good of the whole?

IG: Gender is not an issue, and it shouldn’t be. Some men are great on a team; some are not. Ditto for women. The object is to get the best, whether or not a Y chromosome is on board. I have worked on many all-female teams, and they can be as dynamic or as problematic as any other team.

Kathryn Magendie lives and writes on her mountain top near Maggie Valley, NC. To read more of her writing, see her weblog at kathrynmagendie.com/howl