What could be cooler than opening my overflowing mail box, answering a few authors, and sharing my responses with the world? Of course, names are not included, but I think these authors won’t mind sharing their important questions.

For the most part, I believe my answers reflect a typical indie publisher’s response—if they have time to respond at all. We do try to always respond quickly to inquiries and as fast as we can on queries. So, let’s have some fun:

Reader Question: “Which is more important, reader reviews and opinions or professional reviews?”

My Answer: “I’ll have to hedge my bets on this one. Trade reviews from ForeWord, Publishers Weekly and Booklist are vital in launching a title, but we find that ultimately reader buzz and online reader reviews carry the most weight in the shelf-life and ultimate sales of our titles. Even customers who buy in bricks and mortar stores will research online reader reviews at online stores. We find readers—based on informal anecdotal evidence—will happily read through 80 reader reviews before making a decision.

Author Query: “Dear Agent, I am seeking representation….”

Ummm… bite your tongue, Derek, bite your sarcastic tongue! I’m sure my replies were quite civil (I hope!) but this is really not the way to invite a “please send” when querying a publisher. We get this one a lot. Please take the time to research my name, or at least write “Dear Editor or Dear Publisher…”

Fan Query: “Why did you decide to publish The Last Troubadour novels as three books set one year apart in release dates? I'm telling everyone to read, but I’m a little annoyed that you’re making me wait a year. What happened to Ramon Troubadour?”

My Answer: “Annoying is my middle name. Sorry. As publisher, we felt a 1400 page book might be a little bit too heavy for the average weight-lifting reader. Never fear. Fall is not long off. Thank you for the compliment, but I’ll never tell, on pain of death, what happened to Ramon Troubadour….”

Author Question: "Is there something you’d like to see submitted that hasn’t yet dropped into your lap?"

"I have to tell you…I love your strategy and insight…What I’d really like to know…Is there anything in particular (subject-wise) that you haven’t yet found ? Is there something you’d like to see submitted that hasn’t yet dropped into your lap?...Here’s my problem—I’d like to know what genre is selling right now, and what isn’t. What type of fiction can actually cause a “buzz”? Or…is it only nonfiction that is on the publisher’s mind at this time?"

My Answer: “At Kunati, we haven't yet felt the urge to assign, since we're riding a tsunami of submissions as it is right now. I suppose if we did assignments, it would inevitably be in nonfiction, which is the area most publishers count on to "pay the bills." Fiction is more a passion and love, and the nonfiction helps pay for our addiction to good fiction.

“Because fiction is about passion and love, we really can't assign. It has to be driven by the author's passion, heart, interest or experience (a lot of publishers actually phone prospective authors to probe them on their life experiences—it's that important to credibility in a novel—and this is ALWAYS done in Hollywood for scriptwriters). I couldn't in conscience direct you to a genre or subject for fiction. You have to navigate your own passions.

“Buzz in fiction is always historical. Just when you think you know what's hot right now, suddenly everyone's buzzing something else. And since publishing is always months behind the market, due to editing and printing, trade reviews and distribution, you'll never be ahead of the buzz. By the time the "me toos" come out, as we saw with The Da Vinci Code, it's already too late. So I can only advise you to follow your passion, blend in a good dollop of life experience, and have fun with it. That will show, and it will, in the end, find a home.

Agent Question: “As an agent, I represent several top authors. Can I expect Kunati to review my manuscripts as a priority over unagented submissions? Do you accept simultaneous submissions?”

My Answer: “Not the answer you’ll want to hear, but we give no priority to agented submissions. We do respect the professionalism and selection process and rigor you deploy, and we expect quality. The review, once started, might be slightly faster simply because you probably researched carefully our preferences and the market comparables. But we do not read agented submissions ahead of unagented. They are read in the order they are received. Yes, we accept simultaneous provided you mention this in the cover.”

Author Question: "How long does it usually take to get a response?"

"I submitted two queries to you, the bold and provocative press, thinking you were looking for real controversial stuff. Haven't heard from you either on…How long does it usually take to get a response? Let me know, because I like your press a lot."

My Answer: “Since we don't require agents, we have to read thousands of submissions (literally), so lately it's been months rather than weeks. You can politely follow up a month or two after submission if you haven't heard, but be cautioned that you must provide the DATE (exact) of your original query PLUS your original email (if you use multiple emails, and you give us the wrong one, we will not find your submission on a search)…”

Posted by: Derek Armstrong