Breaking into the publishing world can be a very difficult and trying process—there are many challenges, set backs, and questions along the road to success. What kind of manuscripts are publishers looking for? How can I make sure someone really looks at my work? Do I need an agent and how do I get one? How can I get published successfully? In Latinidad, a free newsletter that aims at helping Latino writers find answers to these questions and get published, Marcela Landres interviews Llewellyn Spanish Acquisitions Editor, Ximena Ortiz, and bestselling Llewellyn author Migene González-Wippler about insights into getting published by Llewellyn and the writing process.
Excerpted from the Latinidad™ Newsletter – July/August 2005: New Age
As evidenced by the perennial popularity of botanicas, Latinos have traditionally been fans of all things New Age. In fact, a survey conducted by New Age Retailer magazine reveals that 23.4% of New Age store customers are Latino, a striking number given that Latinos make up less than 14% of the total U.S. population. According to a Publishers Weekly article, New Age publisher Llewellyn started publishing Spanish-language titles in 1994, and over ten years later it publishes 16 Spanish-language titles annually and devotes 24 pages of its 144-page catalogue to its Spanish-language publications. While Latinos are well represented as readers, there's room for improvement for authorship in this category.
Editor Q&A
Ximena Ortiz is the Spanish Acquisitions Editor for Llewellyn Worldwide. She began her career as a reporter for a local TV station in Chile and continued as a print journalist, columnist and editor for newspapers, magazines and corporate publications. After coming to the U.S., she gradually transitioned from writing for Chilean publications, including the new age magazine Mundo Nuevo, to freelance journalism for several Hispanic newspapers.
Why is Llewellyn a great home for Latino writers? We are one of the few publishing companies that work directly with authors. We don't require authors to be represented by an agent to publish their books. One of Llewellyn's company goals is to help authors get their start in the market, and then assist them in building their career and reputation. Of course, we love working with agents as well; we're just an especially good place for first time authors.
Which Latino authors has Llewellyn published?
Some of our most successful Latino authors according to sales and awards would be Migene Gonzalez-Wippler, Mabel Iam and Luz Stella Rozo.
What kinds of manuscripts do you seek?
Llewellyn specializes in new age themes, and we prefer "how-to" books. We are looking to help our readers to grow spiritually and to assist them in practicing a wide range of new age disciplines. Self-help books are always welcome.
How can writers avoid your "Reject" pile and get into your "Pursue" pile?
Some of the manuscripts that we reject most quickly are those about the author's own mystical experiences. Some people think that the story of their lives is going to help others in their spiritual growth, but as a company, we don't publish biographies --particularly when the subject is someone you've never heard of!
We also frequently receive manuscripts from people who believe that God or some other divine entity is speaking through them. Even if you have come to know the true meaning of life, you'll still probably not be published by Llewellyn Worldwide.
The books most often pursued by Llewellyn focus on a specific theme that's of interest to new age readers (dreams, shamanism, yoga, angels, tarot, astrology, etc.). In developing that theme, writers should have an understanding of the history of the discipline and real, practical knowledge that the reader can benefit from. You have to have a clear picture of how the reader will benefit from reading your book, and then deliver.
Other than honing their craft, what is the smartest step writers can take to become successfully published?
Think as a reader. A reader is going to pick up your book off a shelf and, in just a minute or two, he or she will decide whether to buy it or not. Understanding that, would you ever start a book with dull background? No! Start with the most attractive part of your book, a catchy story that is going to hook your reader and convince them to buy. You can always backtrack later if you must present less captivating material.
Send submissions to: Ximena Ortiz, Spanish Acquisitions Editor,
Llewellyn Worldwide, P.O. Box 64383,
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury,
MN 55125-2989
ximena@llewellyn.com
Author Spotlight
Migene González-Wippler is a cultural anthropologist and has worked as a science editor for the American Museum of Natural History, The American Institute of Physics, and the United Nations in Vienna. She has written over 20 books about religion and mysticism, the latest being Keys to the Kingdom: Jesus & The Mystic Kabbalah, which reveals the interrelationship between kabbalah and Christianity. For instance, Spain was the birthplace of the first kabbalists, as well as many noted Jewish mystics and theologians; the body of Jesus's teachings is essentially kabbalistic; and the structure of the Lord's Prayer uncannily reflects that of the Tree of Life, a central kabbalah concept. Devout and skeptical readers alike will find much food for thought in Gonzalez-Wippler's clear-eyed yet sensitive analysis.
Which author or book inspires you and why?
I read a lot and I have many favorite authors. Charles Dickens and Jane Austen are among the ones I admire the most. A modern author I especially like is J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter saga. I enjoy her work immensely and one of the reasons I like her so much is that she makes herself available to her readers. Also that she believed so strongly in her vision that she worked on the first book under the most difficult circumstances. That determination is what makes a writer successful.
Why do you love to write?
I don't love to write. Writing is one of the most agonizing experiences a human being can have. It's like giving birth. I write because I must. It is a compulsion, a driving need. I'm only at peace when I am writing. And like Dorothy Parker, I love having written.
How did you meet your agent?
I don't have an agent. My first publisher liked my work so much that when he sold his company to Random House he continued to help me publish my work. I was very lucky there. Then Llewellyn became interested and they have published many of my books quite successfully.
What is your writing ritual?
I write late at night on a computer. Never when inspiration strikes but as a disciplinary measure. Inspiration can be very fickle. But it will come once you start writing in earnest.
Other than honing their craft, what advice would you give to Latino writers looking to land a book deal?
First, you must learn to be your most severe critic. You cannot indulge yourself and you cannot blind yourself to your mistakes and your shortcomings. If you are a good writer, you will know when something you have written is not good. The trick is having the courage to admit it. Prose is like music. It must be perfectly balanced. And your grammar must be impeccable. A writer with bad grammar or poor spelling has no business writing books. No one - especially agents and editors - will forgive you for that. If you feel something you have written is not good enough, erase it, even if it breaks your heart. You'll be glad you did. And second, you must believe in yourself and in your work. Once you believe in yourself you will have every chance of success. I submitted my first book - Santeria: African Magic in Latin America - to 22 publishers and they all turned me down. Then the 23rd publisher - the one who later became my greatest fan - decided to publish me - in hard cover. Later he sold the paper book rights to the first publisher I approached and who had turned me down: Doubleday. Doubleday ended up paying more for the paperback rights than they would have paid for the hard cover. So you see it pays to believe in your work, to be determined and to look tirelessly for the one person who will share your beliefs.
For more information on the Latinidad Newsletter, visit marcelalandres.com.
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