24-7 Titles author briefing
From 24-7Wiki
Introduction
Since the publication of Red Moon Rising in 2003, the 24-7 prayer community has been impacted by the power of stories to shape thinking, connect hearts and inspire action. Perhaps, as author Leonard Sweet says, the future really does: ‘belong to the story-tellers and the connectors’.
24-7 exists, according to our current mission statement, to: ‘transform the world through movements of Christ-centred, mission-minded prayer’. We believe that books (and indeed many other means of mass communication) are a key tool for stirring up such transformational movements, alongside the instigation of night-and-day prayer rooms, missionary work and the planting of Boiler Room communities.
The purpose of this document
This document is a briefing for those interested in writing a book for general publication as part of the 24-7 Titles family of books. It assumes no prior knowledge of publishing, although we realise that experienced authors may well also be attracted to write for 24-7TITLES.
Success is a finished book, a stack of pages each of which is filled with words. If you reach that point, you have won a victory over yourself no less impressive than sailing single-handed around the world. (Tom Clancy)
Why 24-7 TITLES?
24-7TITLES is an arm of the 24-7 Prayer charity, dedicated to ensuring that the stories and ideas which are emerging from our broad community of friends are shared with the widest possible audience in a way that is consistent with our values. Our purposes are:
- To ensure that books which reflect the vision and values of 24-7 Prayer are published and read, as an essential part of communicating that which we believe God has entrusted to us.
- To assist authors (especially new authors) who are in relationship with us and share our values in shaping their ideas and bringing them successfully from concept to publication.
The initial focus of 24-7TITLES is on books, but in our multi-media age we will also seek to work alongside people in other creative and media areas as things develop.
How does the publishing industry work?
Publishing and promoting a book requires commitment, finances, and know-how. The world of publishing (including Christian publishing) is a business, and it is helpful to understand how this business operates in order to engage with those who are involved in it.
Books start with an idea in the mind of an author. It has been said that 'everyone has at least one book inside of them'. However, not everyone has the skill, time, or determination to get their ideas down on paper, and few of those who do produce a manuscript will ever manage to get it published.
A publisher works with an author to get the book into its final form ('editing'), to physically produce it (by engaging a printer), and – critically - to market and distribute it through bookshops and other outlets. The publisher has a lot of knowledge and experience about what people are likely to buy and read, and they also carry most of the financial risk in producing a book (with no guarantees that anyone will buy it!).
Although more books than ever are being published and read, finding a publisher who is willing to accept your manuscript is a notoriously difficult and demoralising task. The process of getting an offer from a publisher is sometimes entrusted to a 'literary agent', who knows the industry and will work on the author’s behalf in return for a percentage of the proceeds (generally about 15% of royalties).
When a book finally hits the shops, the author will be paid a 'royalty', which is a percentage of the wholesale price that the publisher sells the books for (typically between 10 and 15%). The publisher generally pays a 'royalty advance' to the author, which is a sum that ultimately comes out of the author’s own royalties but is paid as a lump sum up-front and is kept by the author even if the book does not sell enough copies to cover it. Typically the Royalty Advance is paid in three instalments: on signing the contract, on completion of the manuscript and when the book appears in the shops. Unless you are already a well known 'name', the sums involved for a first-time Christian author will not be large – an advance may be from hundreds to a few thousand pounds, and total royalties may not get much beyond this unless the book does well.
What can 24-7TITLES offer an author?
24-7TITLES offers a very attractive package to the authors who are accepted onto the scheme:
24-7 Editorial
24-7TITLES does not publish indiscriminately! We obviously want to read a manuscript before championing it to publishers and including it in our range of books. This is vital in maintaining the integrity of our message, and it is also good for the author because it provides the unusual benefit of a preliminary level of objective, editorial assistance and support; helping to refine the work before it goes to publishers. Such assistance is a valuable precursor to the kind of editorial input provided by a publisher, which generally focuses mostly on the forensic elements of language, layout, and accuracy rather than overarching style and content. Reading and feeding back on manuscripts is time-consuming and so 24-7 reserves the right to refuse manuscripts at the preliminary editorial stages without recourse to explanation.
24-7 Literary Agent
If 24-7TITLES decides to champion a manuscript we will then enter into a contractual agreement with the author; helping them to find a publisher and to get the very best deal for their book. We insist that all 24-7TITLES carry a 24-7 logo on the back, are produced ethically, are cross-marketed with other 24-7 books and that electronic rights to 25% of the book are granted by the publisher for the purposes of marketing the book and educating the movement. As part of this service we may also be able to offer limited legal advice on contracts etc. Like all Literary Agencies 24-7TITLES cover its costs by deducting a percentage of any eventual royalties (see below).
24-7 Brand
24-7TITLES enables authors to associate a particular book with the worldwide 24-7 'brand'. This is good for 24-7 because it furthers our vision and values through the powerful medium of books. It is good for the author because it enables them to surf the success of other 24-7TITLES and to benefit from association with the 24-7 'name'. It is especially valuable for first-time authors who do not have a reputation of their own, and could well be a deciding factor in determining whether their book is published or not. Once published the book is also more likely to be purchased because of its association with the 24-7 movement. Which brings us on to the aspect of marketing…
24-7 Marketing
As well as offering a strong brand, help in finding a publisher and preliminary editorial service, 24-7TITLES also markets the book within the global 24-7 community through profile on our websites, at events, by word-of-mouth and through cross-marketing in other 24-7 publications.
How does an author’s relationship with 24-7TITLES work in practice?
Step 1: a book proposal
If you have an idea for a book, the first step is to get your initial thoughts down on paper in the form of a proposal or ‘treatment’ comprising an overview of the book, basic chapter outline, an introductory chapter and a little biographical detail. You don’t need to write a complete manuscript at this stage! This will enable us to understand your idea in detail so that we can assess the proposed message of the book, its marketability and how well you write. If you have already completed your manuscript, we will still require the submission of a treatment / summary as outlined above.
Step 2: a contract with 24-7TITLES
Should we accept your treatment we will invite you to enter into a formal agreement with 24-7TITLES.
Step 3a: editorial
24-7TITLES will assign an experienced editor, familiar with the 24-7 values, to assist you in producing a final manuscript based on your treatment. The editorial input will be limited to three points of interaction during the writing process (the main responsibility has to remain with the author!). Two of these interactions come at the beginning of the process and the third comes towards the end:
- Detailed feedback on the treatment.
- Advice on writing and structuring the book.
- Feedback on the completed manuscript
Step 3b: representation to publishers
While you are writing your book 24-7TITLES will take your treatment (once it has been refined by the first two editorial interactions) and approach publishers on your behalf. 24-7TITLES IS NOT A PUBLISHER AND WE CANNOT PROMISE TO FIND A PUBLISHER FOR YOUR BOOK in which case you will be free to take your manuscript elsewhere.
Step 4: author negotiates with publisher directly
Interested publishers will make offers directly to the author and it will be up to the author to negotiate their contract for themselves in accordance with their pre-existent commitment to 24-7TITLES. We are not able to give formal legal advice, but we can offer you some guidance on what the contract means and what your responses might be. We also have certain requirements for all 24-7TITLES such as a clause in the contract committing the publisher to place our logo on the back. It is in the author’s interests to check the contract with 24-7TITLES before signing it so as to ensure that the requirements of 24-7TITLES have been covered in the contract and thus to ensure that the book is permitted to carry our branding and other benefits.
Step 5: contracts
If you receive an acceptable offer from a publisher, you will sign a further legal contract with them (in your own name) to enable publication of your work. A copy of the contract must be forwarded to 24-7TITLES within a week of completion.
What are the financial arrangements between 24-7TITLES and the author?
24-7TITLES is part of 24-7 Prayer (Reg’d charity No. 1091413). The costs we incur in editing, representing and marketing the work of our authors are real and they have to be covered from somewhere! What’s more, any profits made by 24-7TITLES are ploughed back into the 24-7 movement. The commercial arrangements outlined below seek to strike a balance between our desire to get the message out there in the form of books and other creative work, and the need to equitably share any financial returns and to cover the costs of our editorial, negotiating and marketing efforts. They should be taken as guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules – the commercial and legal aspects are there to support and strengthen our relationships, not the other way around!
Authors do not pay anything to 24-7TITLES until they have received money from the publisher for their work. As such there is no risk for the author. When royalties are released:
- First, we take a one-off ‘Flat Fee’ of £1000 (or 50% of the royalty advance if the amount offered is less than £2000), paid to us by the author once the advance has been received. This is to cover the costs of the editorial, commercial and legal work that 24-7TITLES will have done.
- Secondly we take an ongoing ‘Agency Fee’ amounting to a percentage of any further royalties (between 5-15%) in perpetuity. The amount is on a reducing scale reflecting the changing contribution of the 24-7 “brand” versus the author’s “name” in promoting the work: 15% for a first book, 10% for a second, 5% thereafter.
The fact that a book has been published through 24-7 Titles does not commit either party to work together again on future projects.
Legal status
This document has been approved by the 24-7TITLES working group and James Greig of Horsey, Lightly Flynn Solicitors, Newbury in April 2006. All enquiries to pete.ward@24-7prayer.com
