Poor formatting in e-books by bigger houses

With some distress recently I read a Kindle version of a novel written by a writer I know and respect. It was published not by one of the Big Five, but by a medium-sized press that was commercial enough to charge over £3.00 for an e-book, the paperback equivalent of which retails for £6.99. So, we’re not talking a self-published book being all but given away at 99p. I actually appreciate publishers who charge a decent amount:  it shows respect for their writers and the IT people who have spent a long time developing the technology.  However, this particular example shows little respect for the reader.

Surprisingly, actually, the 99p self-published book more often than not has less formatting mistakes than  those texts supplied by the big houses. Possibly this is because these books are published only in this format so the “publisher” has taken the time to do the job properly.

So, what exactly was wrong with this book?

Well, it was formatted web-style – rather like what you’re reading now. It didn’t feel like a book because there were no indents.  The text was blocked, but the blocking hadn’t “taken” everywhere, so there were some disturbing gaps at the end of lines.  These took you out of the film in your head and reminded you that you were looking at words on a page.  

A couple of chapters had a heading followed by a blank page.

I noticed a couple of issues that a copy editor should have picked up. I’m sure I only noticed them because the poor formatting made me conscious of the words on the page.  An “its” should have been “it’s”. There was some unexpected capitalisation at the beginning of some words. 

Why does this happen?

We know “kindling” can be tricky.  You can check your book in three different formats and it will look fine. Then when it’s actually out there things you’ve not been able to see creep in.

But guess what? It actually only take a few minutes to take the book down, correct it and load it back up. It’s not like correcting a print run. We notice the odd post-e-publication blip and fix it as soon as it’s pointed out.

Too many bigger publishers simply upload the same file they used for the print version. No, you need to do a little more work than this – especially if you want to charge almost as much for the e-book as for a hard copy.

How should we react to this poor formatting?

My first instinct was to put a 1 or 2 * review on Amazon. But I didn’t want to damage the author. I have instead written to the publisher and pointed this out. I’m tempted to claim a refund as I’ve been sold an inferior product. I’m bracing myself to contact the author and say that she needs to take the publisher to task. If we could all go for zero tolerance on this we might get better formatted books.           

          

Check out your publisher - don't speculate

The greatest thing about being a publisher is that … you publish books. You also see some great writing. There are some other things that we have to do that are less pleasant. One activity is somewhat tedious, often very rewarding and occasionally heart-breaking.

Checking presence on the Internet

Yes, it’s that narcissistic activity: Googling yourself or a particular book. You’ll often find a great review or a pleasing sales ranking. Sometimes you’ll find a mediocre review and a more modest sales ranking. And occasionally you’ll find a very poor review with maybe one star and worse still, it may appear to have been written by a  troll. In the greater scheme of things, the latter isn’t actually all that worrying. There are bound to be some poor reviews occasionally and frankly, personally, if I see a one star review I’m likely to buy the book – it won’t disappoint. In fact it’s highly likely to be better than one would expect from one star – especially if there is a troll element. This was probably someone with a personal grudge.  

Perhaps a more believable review may have a negative effect on a book. Not always though. One book I really enjoyed was Melvin Burgess’ Doing It. I only read it because I was curious about what had upset Anne Fine so much in her famous Guardian review.

Negative speculation

Sadly, I’ve come across this twice this week. There’d been a call for submissions by a small press company I know. Some writers speculated about how reliable this company would be. They appeared to have done their homework. However, they’d made a ghastly mistake about one of the team in that they’d said that one editor had “no experience of the publishing industry”. This was absolutely not true. The person in question had decided to set up on their own after being disillusioned by the big five.

The other example was about one of my own projects. Again, the folks had done their homework and had misinterpreted some of the facts they’d established. They’d found one name associated with three projects. Yes, we use the same web-master who had secured the sites and domain names for us.

Okay, there are crooks out there. But actually, not many. As I am also a writer I’ve worked with fifteen publishers, all sizes. Only one has really let me down. The one who has sold the most of my work actually started operating out of a small industrial estate near Bristol. They first published me in 2001 and I’m still getting royalty cheques.

A world of book-lovers

Publishing books is not big business. Not even for Bloomsbury post JKR. Yes, they have a huge turnover. But put their business acumen into virtually any other business – maybe not farming – and they’d make even more. Even amongst the big successful publishers with grand offices in London there is, perhaps, before all else, a love of books. Thank goodness.

That is what keeps us all going.

I’ve not yet been proved wrong. Even the publisher who let me down did it more out of incompetence than out of any maliciousness.  

I’ve just come back from Hay and this was clearer than ever there again.

What I would say to all writers

Yes, of course, it is important to be sure that your publisher is the general article. I’d encourage you simply to ask. If they don’t reply or don’t give you a satisfactory answer – move on.             

Some near misses – some novels we almost accepted

I’ve been reading some scripts recently that I’ve ultimately decided to reject even though they had a lot going for them. If you recognise yourself in any of the following or know you have done something very similar please believe that our “good” rejection is absolutely sincere. We mean it.  We would like to see more of your work in future. And do take note of the comments we made.

These are some reactions to sample chapters and a synopsis. I didn’t go as far as seeing the whole script.     

Too Nancy Drew / Agatha Christie or not enough so

This was a slightly old-fashioned whodunit reminiscent of the Nancy Drew mysteries. Two sisters find out who the murderer is and who stole the jewels.  There are some wonderfully mysterious scenes where the reader is partly let into the secret and we watch someone who is up to no good doing we’re not quite sure what, where or why. It’s almost a spoof but not quite because the actual story is really about the reconciliation between the two girls so it becomes firmly a young adult Bildungsroman. Yet the imitation of Agatha Christie is very strong. This novel can’t quite make its mind up. Would Agatha Christie or Nancy Drew still sell?

Not quite the right age group

This one was very tightly written. This seems to be a very experienced writer. The cover letter informed us the author had edited the work fifteen times and expected he would have to do more. The prose really worked. The characters were well formed and the opening chapters were engaging. It’s just that the protagonist was too old for our young adult readers. It was more new adult. We don’t do that at the moment. We may do in twelve months’ time. It would be selfish to hang on to this. We really do sincerely hope that it will still be available if and when we try out the new genre.

Terrible formatting

This was a rather brilliant time-slip novel where the main character, now aged over thirty meets his younger self. It was well written and the character was convincing. Yet the presentation was totally unprofessional. This writer would be hard work. They clearly could not follow instructions and it’s likely that they would be totally ignorant about the publishing world. The work would have to be more than just a bit brilliant for us to take it on despite these problems.  

Arrogant and ignorant cover letter

We really would have liked to see more about the girl who realises she is a lesbian. Dramatically, and cleverly, most of the plot hangs around a kiss between too girls. The section we saw was very well written and the characters were very well drawn. However, we were put off the writer by the content of her cover letter. She admitted to editing the text in one certain way because someone had told her too. There was an implication that if there we something wrong with the text it was somebody else’s fault. No. You must own your work. Yes, you must be open-minded enough to listen if we suggest change. But you must own the change as well. Often it’s case of finding a third way. We tell you your text isn’t working.  Often our suggestion is pretty dumb. You then come up with something that is better than what we suggested and what you first thought of. Sometimes this means that bit gets so good the other bits look dumb. Then you’ve got your work cut out.

This writer then went on to say that her work did something that other young adult books don’t do. That’s a pretty sweeping claim, actually. We could quote several examples  - including some we’ve published.    

Do we have a Prima Donna here? Do we want to work with one?                

Voice didn’t match age group

This was an extremely well written excerpt. The synopsis promised a really good story and even this was well written suggesting a high degree of professionalism. Unfortunately the narrative voice sounded as if it was speaking to a junior-school aged child. Yet the content of the story was young adult enough.

In this case we’d suggest a major re-write and ask to see it again. That’s a lot of work for the author but I don’t think anyone would publish this text as it stands now. Even we can’t guarantee anything until we have seen the new version.

That’s part of being a writer.

I really do mean it when I say these came extremely close. These writers must carry on trying.         

Avoid looking like an amateur

Always, always, always we’re looking for great stories and good writing. We may from time to time look beyond typos, lack of control and an obvious ignorance of the publishing world if the story is excellent and the writing superb. Alas, the latter is very rare and often due to talent. There is also a business side to publishing and we need to know that every writer, even the talented ones, can engage with that. Just think: you have made your script the best it can possibly be and we ask you to change it. There is no way we’ll believe you capable of doing that if you can’t follow a few simple guidelines and adhere to a few general rules.

Give us what we ask for

If we ask for three chapters and a synopsis, give us that. We don’t need four chapters just because your chapters are short. If you can’t crystallize your story into a 500 word synopsis you’re probably not sure what you’re doing anyway and that will show in the text.  

Format your work to industry standard

Unless otherwise stated, double space your work. Indent all but the first paragraph of a section. Do not put an extra line space in front of a paragraph. Use a standard font – Times New Roman 12 point or Arial 10 point are favoured. You might use the automatic paragraph set up in Word to do this. However, beware that you may need to change this to something more manual for some publishers at a later date. Format left, ragged right, please.

Other presentation etiquette

Create a title page. The top left had corner should include full contact details – name, address, telephone numbers and email. The title, your name and the type of book should go in the middle, centred, and the rounded number of words in the bottom righthand corner. Note, if you use a pseudonym use that in the middle of the page and your real name in the contact details.

It’s good practice and useful for you to include your name and the title of the book, perhaps shortened, in a header and the page number and number of pages in the footer.  Again, you can set this up automatically in Word.

However, if you’re entering a competition there is often a requirement that your name doesn’t appear anywhere on the script. In this case, if you include it they’ll just put your script in the bin. You will have wasted the entry fee.

Never staple or bind your work. Hold it together with a paper clip or if it’s a hefty script, sandwich it between two pieces of thin card and hold it together with a large elastic band.  

Business-like cover letter

Make your cover letter informative and to the point. Give us a two line summary of your text. Tell us the three or so facts from your CV that are the most relevant for this work. Tell us what to do with your script when we’ve finished – bin it or post it back.  If the latter, remember to include return postage. (Of course, these days, many publishers accept electronic submissions.) Don’t give us the impression that you have a one-size-fits-all query letter.  

Avoid being quirky here and in any synopsis unless you can do it extremely well and convincingly. Most of the time it just irritates us.  

Near-perfect script

Make your script as mistake-free as possible. The odd typo, punctuation mistake or clumsily structured sentence may be forgivable but a host of them is not and actually prevents us from seeing your work clearly. Be particularly careful about how you set out dialogue. This is incredibly easy to get right but it is amazing how many people make serious errors in this area. Read you work out loud and get someone else to check it before you send it out. It may even be worth paying someone.       

It’s all about the business of writing. Take yourself seriously and we might too.     

Are email submissions actually more complex than the old-fashioned one side of A4 double-spaced etc.?

It used to be relatively simple. You sent the first three chapters of your novel, a synopsis and a query letter, plus return postage. You probably took it to the post office to get it weighed. It was at least half a day’s work. Then you sat back and waited. Or hopefully, you carried on writing.

The publisher accumulated a slush pile at least as tall as herself and an office junior delighted in reducing that pile by sending it back to hopeful authors with a standard rejection slip.

A disappointed writer heard the loud thump as the rejected manuscript landed on the doormat.

Electronic submissions common sense?

You would think so. Yet so much can go wrong. The submission may never arrive. The process of sending it electronically may screw up the text or the formatting. The publisher loses control over their slush pile because they can no longer see it three dimensionally.

Yet there are advantages for the publisher and the writer. The publisher receives a text that is already partly type-set. The writer can probably get out three submissions in the time it used to take her to get out one.  

Complex guide-lines

Many publishers do now accept submissions electronically. The variety of ways they ask for material can be confusing for the writer, however.  Some want the submission via an on-line form, some want it in the body of the email and some want it as an attachment. There seems also to be much variety in what should be contained in whichever method is chosen: the first 5000 words, the first three chapters, the first ten pages, a one page synopsis, a fifty word synopsis, a two-line description. Then there is a variation of where these items go-  in the body of the email, as an attachment or even all just in one  document  Many publishers ask for an a author bio as well. One or two want a full CV. Many are interested the writer’s social networking habits. A sound presence on Twitter, Facebook and in the Blogsphere is welcome.

The standard manuscript is still there somewhere

Double-spacing and 12 point Time new Roma remain popular, but different publishers require different additional formatting details: the size of the margins, whether one uses Word headings, how indents are generated,  and whether footers, headers or page numbers are permitted or desired. Much of this depends on what is a particular publisher’s design process after editorial. The publisher does not want to be fighting the writer’s text as they prepare the digital file.

As ever, the writer must read these guidelines carefully. Two sets can be amazingly similar but nevertheless include critical differences.

Electronic editing

This is really coming into favour now. Even when a hard-copy has been accepted at submission stage, editor and writer will often work on the script electronically. Many publishers use a combination of Track Changes and added comments. These can make scripts seem messy but it doesn’t take too long to get used to. It’s useful to the publisher also to see where the writer has made changes in various versions of the script. Version-naming etiquette is essential and what that is will also vary from publisher to publisher.

Editing for house-style

Authors will often have to edit their text to bring it in line with a certain house-style.  This will include such features as single or double quotes, how thoughts are portrayed (often in italics), and how section breaks and headings are handled.  

Confusing? Indeed it is. But worth getting right. Busy publishers haven’t got time to look at something that is not properly presented. Although some of these rules may seem complex it’s usually relatively easy to set up your document to obey them. What may look like a list of demands is actually more like a step-by-step guide.  

And still you can get submissions out more quickly than you could using the old-fashioned way. Publishers can also respond more rapidly.       

            

                     

Getting the synopsis right

A good synopsis can be a major selling point when you submit work to a publisher. True, we probably won’t even read it if the writing’s no good. There is a slight irony in that; it’s always easier to fix bad writing than it is to mend that a story that isn’t working. Editors tend, anyway, to know more about editing than story-telling even if they can recognise a good story when they see one. So it may seem that under-par writing could be improved. Yes, most likely, but we just haven’t got the time to do it. The writing must go somewhere else to get fixed. So, it’s not even worth looking at the synopsis just yet.

Sadly, much writing passes muster and then is rejected because it seems from the synopsis that the writer just has no story to tell. Even more sadly it’s highly likely that they do have a good story but have failed to crystalize it well in the synopsis.

We ask a lot, we know. We usually want no more than 500 words and frequently less. It takes quite a lot of skill for the writer to represent their novel effectively in that space. And it is reassuring to us that the writers we decide to publish do have that skill.

So what should writers do?

Here a few things to avoid:

Writing the synopsis like a blurb

We do need to know the whole story and it needs to be told in a business-like manner. One or two rhetorical questions might be all right – particularly if they’re actually from the point of view of the protagonist – but if you don’t feel confident with this, don’t do it.

Writing in a quirky way

You might be writing a book that is quirky in style and you may wish to represent that style in your synopsis. It is great if you can pull it off. Most people don’t manage to and then it just becomes extremely irritating.

Creating a list

Avoid:” this happens and then this happens, then this happens and then that”. The commissioning editor needs to get a feel for where all of the drama and the tension is in the plot. Don’t overwhelm her with details.   

Getting the balance wrong

Don’t have too much of any of the following though you probably need some of each of these:

·         Backstory

·         Character description

·         Setting description

·         Action

·         Exposition

·         Justification (Yu actually shouldn’t need any of this in a well-written synopsis.)  

Writing in the past tense

Normally a synopsis should be written in the present tense. After all, the book remains the same each time it is read.  

Avoid overwriting

Keep your sentences succinct and to the point. Allow that word count work for you. Make sure your style is a tight as can be. You are using a completely different writing muscle here from the one you need to write your novel. No “The reason he is here is because….”

So, what should you do? Try this:

Recipe for a synopsis

1.      Define the novel in two or three lines. What type of novel is it? Which sub-genre? What happens to the main character?

2.      Say a little about the main characters and the setting, weaving in any backstory only if it is really important.

3.      Identify the main actions – usually no more than three or four - until you reach that all important crisis point.

4.      Describe the crisis point, perhaps giving it a paragraph all of its own.

5.      Define what happens in the car-chase moment – that gap between the crisis point and the resolution.

6.      Describe the new point of stasis that your protagonist has reached. Here you may hint at a follow-up story if appropriate.

And a hot tip. Read Nicola Morgan’s excellent book about writing synopses.