Naive query about how to go about getting a publisher to take on an (unwritten!) book

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Yes, I know, I'm sure the thread title alone has caused eyes to roll on here, but I'll press on regardless

I feel I have a very good idea for a sports book. I've never written one before but have worked in the sports newspaper business for quite a few years now...

Assuming I can get all the relevant parties on board (it's a fly on the wall type book), am I completely dreaming to think there's a publisher in Ireland who would take me on before the book has even started?

How does a writer even get this process kicked off?

pickarooney

Step 1 : write the book

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pickarooney wrote: »

Step 1 : write the book

I was expecting just such a response

The reason I ask about approaching a publisher first, is because the book I have in mind is a 'story of a season' type endeavour. In other words, the 'season' hasn't happened yet. I hoped to follow the team for said season and produce a behind the scenes, warts-n-all type book... I thought in order to be taken seriously by the sports team I have in mind, I might need to be approaching them with a publisher already on board... or am I just putting the cart before the horse here completely?

pickarooney

You're kind of depending on them having an extraordinary season to have something to write about.

Toasterspark

Regardless of the content, you're going to need a story to show to any publisher. Fair enough if there's some tweaking to do after approaching them (note: there will ALWAYS be tweaking to do after approaching them), but you still need words on paper.

By 'take you on', do you mean get an upfront payment? No publisher will take a gamble on a rookie, and even the experienced writers would be hard pressed to receive payments before they've even begun.

Ball's in your court. You have to write the story first, and then hope someone thinks it's good enough to publish. Doesn't really work the opposite way around.

EileenG

I'll say here that it is not impossible to get money before the book is written, BUT only if it is a book the publisher really wants, you are the only (or the very best) person to write it, and you can produce it very quickly.

You need a track record of being able to produce exactly what the publisher wants, on time and the right number of words. You need a subject that publisher wants and you need to be able to produce it quickly.

I can't see any pubisher giving you a full season to write a book, particularly if you don't have a track record in writing books. Having a background in journalism will help, but isn't enough.

If you are a sports journalist, why can you not write the book as you do your ordinary work, and then go to the publisher with the book already written?

I can tell you no publisher will pay you to follow a team for a season.

EileenG

I'll add that having a publisher on board is no guarantee that the team would be any keener on having you following them around doing warts and all. If they think of you as a journalist from a provincial newspaper, they are likely to be a lot more relaxed than if they think it's going into an exposee book by Random House.

If you are presenting a proposal for an unwritten book to a publisher, you need to be very clear about why your book will be better than any other, and who will read it.

If you write a warts and all book, what are the chances that someone in the book will try to stop it being published? Libel isn't usually a huge concern in sports reporting, but in a book like this, it could be.

What happens to your book (and your advance) if the team brings an injection against you?

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EileenG

Thanks very much for your very helpful posts...

I'll add that having a publisher on board is no guarantee that the team would be any keener on having you following them around doing warts and all. If they think of you as a journalist from a provincial newspaper, they are likely to be a lot more relaxed than if they think it's going into an exposee book by Random House.

I completely agree here, in fact, I feel like the team and it's management may very well be as hard - or harder - to convince than the publishers I approach.

I hadn't even given a thought to being paid anything up front - although I wouldn't turn it down, naturally - and I could, to an extent, write the book while continuing to work my dayjob... but, to be honest, to write the book the way I would want to, I would want to be there as close to day-in, day-out as possible (again, this is something that would be hard to convince a sports team's management to accept).

So, I had thought of taking leave from work for the duration or even just significantly reducing my hours.

If you write a warts and all book, what are the chances that someone in the book will try to stop it being published? Libel isn't usually a huge concern in sports reporting, but in a book like this, it could be.

What happens to your book (and your advance) if the team brings an injection against you?

This is something that I obviously have to consider, but I don't want the possibility of putting someone's nose out of joint to deter me writing what I think could be a very interesting book. Would I be right in assuming that any publisher who took on such a project would have processes in place for 'legalling' any publication that they are going to produce?

It would be my absolute intention to make it clear to the Team and management that I intend to write as honest an account of their season as possible - warts n all, as they say... again, this is where my 'salesman' skills will be severely tested!

EileenG

The publisher probably will have lawyers they use for legal cases, but they will expect you to write a story which does not land them in court for libel, and if there is a possibility of a libel action, they are likely to decline the book.

Again, what is the potential readership for this book? I'm assuming you are talking about following an Irish team and approaching an Irish pubisher. What team is popular enough that a fly-on-the-wall book about them will sell enough copies to cover costs?

As you said, the biggest problem is likely to be getting the team to agree. What's in it for them? Why would they allow you to show their dirty laundry?

If you are determined to write this book, I think your best bet is to continue your day job, and make a point of covering anything this team does for your normal paper, but make lots of background and colour notes as well. At the end of the season, see if you have the makings of a book. Write it and go to a publisher with the book in hand.

Do your research. Who in Ireland publishers that sort of book you want to write? What approach do they normally take, coffee table book or fearless expose?

EileenG

WHIP IT! wrote: »

So, I had thought of taking leave from work for the duration or even just significantly reducing my hours.

Why? Let's say your book will be 60k words long (got to leave room for pix) and you have a 13 week season to write it. That's less than 5,000 words a week, some of which you'd be writing anyway for your normal work.

Bear in mind, the Irish market is small and pays ****e. Even assuming the book is accepted, you'll be doing well to get an advance of €2000 or so. That's not going to pay you to give up your normal work.

In fact, if you have a good wart and all story, you'll probbaly make a lot more money if you do a series over a a few issues in the papers.

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EileenG wrote: »

Why? Let's say your book will be 60k words long (got to leave room for pix) and you have a 13 week season to write it. That's less than 5,000 words a week, some of which you'd be writing anyway for your normal work.

Bear in mind, the Irish market is small and pays ****e. Even assuming the book is accepted, you'll be doing well to get an advance of €2000 or so. That's not going to pay you to give up your normal work.

In fact, if you have a good wart and all story, you'll probbaly make a lot more money if you do a series over a a few issues in the papers.

Well I would be hoping that I could strike a deal to serialise the book with either my own paper or another national once it's written and before it's released. I figure it would be a good 'Xmas market' type book. This, presumably, would have to be discussed with the publishers (if I am able to get one to take me seriously!)

I just don't want it to be 'just another sports book' that promises lots and delivers little. Hence, I'm prepared to dedicate myself to it as much as possible. I feel there's an excellent story there to tell, and I'd like to be the one to tell it.

EileenG

WHIP IT! wrote: »

Well I would be hoping that I could strike a deal to serialise the book with either my own paper or another national once it's written and before it's released. I figure it would be a good 'Xmas market' type book. This, presumably, would have to be discussed with the publishers (if I am able to get one to take me seriously!)

I just don't want it to be 'just another sports book' that promises lots and delivers little. Hence, I'm prepared to dedicate myself to it as much as possible. I feel there's an excellent story there to tell, and I'd like to be the one to tell it.

Why would your publisher allow you to do that? They pay you to write a book for them, and you put it into your paper? That's not going to happen.

Okay, I can tell you from my own experience, that if the book is to on the shelves for Christmas, you need to be turning the MS in now.

Again, who is going to buy your book? What book is your proposed book most like? How many copies did that book sell? In a recession, what makes your book something that people will buy? Believe me, the publisher will ask these questions?

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EileenG wrote: »

Why would your publisher allow you to do that? They pay you to write a book for them, and you put it into your paper? That's not going to happen.

Okay, I can tell you from my own experience, that if the book is to on the shelves for Christmas, you need to be turning the MS in now.

Again, who is going to buy your book? What book is your proposed book most like? How many copies did that book sell? In a recession, what makes your book something that people will buy? Believe me, the publisher will ask these questions?

Sorry, I meant Xmas 2013

My paper serialises books every year, as do others. I just assumed this was always done with the consent of the publishers and I always assumed it helped sales when the book was eventually released? Perhaps I'm wrong. I know I, personally, have bought books on the strength of reading excerpts in newspapers etc.

EileenG

An excerpt maybe, not the whole book.

I don't want to rain on your parade, but I honestly think you need to write the book before you go looking for a publisher.

Drop a hint here. What team are you planning to expose?

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EileenG wrote: »

An excerpt maybe, not the whole book.

I don't want to rain on your parade, but I honestly think you need to write the book before you go looking for a publisher.

Drop a hint here. What team are you planning to expose?

LOL, I'm not "planning to expose" anyone as such... in fact, although I certainly don't want to write the book as a silly 'cheerleading' type fans book... I do feel that revealing the day-to-day ups and downs faced by a team on a mission will serve as a 'celebration' of the team in a way and I don't feel this has ever really been done before in any serious way.

I'd rather not say which team, but suffice to say, I believe they are one of the few genuinely marketable sports teams in the country.

I have read several sports books in a similiar vein covering a range of sports and, to be honest, the behind the scenes aspect of team sports is where the real story is for me.

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EileenG wrote: »

I don't want to rain on your parade, but I honestly think you need to write the book before you go looking for a publisher.

Thanks for that. I think you may be right and at least that gives me some kind of direction to go - suffice to say, that will also give me motivation to make sure I have one helluva book in the pipeline when I do begin to approach publishers!

EileenG

So which book is the most similar to what you plan to write? You can certainly tell us that.

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EileenG wrote: »

So which book is the most similar to what you plan to write? You can certainly tell us that.

Em, my favourite book of this 'genre' I suppose is this one, The Jordan Rules, written while following the 1990/1 Chicago Bulls team as they won their first NBA title.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jordan_Rules_(book)

I like author Sam Smith's quote when asked about the controversy surrounding the book: "This book is about basketball and what happens within a team and a league that draws the attention of millions. It's an attempt to allow people to look behind those closed curtains of sport. And find what? Human beings with everyday emotions trying to do their highly visible jobs as well as they can and confront the obstacles of their relationships and their very lucrative, very public profession."