BUDA BITES

Publishers and Contracts:

I don’t know whether or not this was the right decision, but I decided to find a publisher on my own rather than going through an agent. It wasn’t because I was trying to avoid the 15 percent agent’s cut, but because I thought that the book would be too much of a niche topic for an agent to be willing to take it on. After pitching newspaper and magazine editors on stories about Hungary for several years, I’ve realized that it’s just not considered a very glamorous place. Compared to culinary hot spots like France and Italy, Hungary gets significantly fewer visitors. Most people just don’t know much about the country at all (I certainly didn’t before I arrived here), and know less about its cuisine.

I made a list of around a dozen American publishers that I thought would be a good fit for the book based on the other types of books that they published, and I began sending out my rather hefty proposal. Just as I had feared, most of them replied that it was “too esoteric” of a topic. Some had even discussed it with their marketing people, who came to the conclusion that it just wouldn’t sell enough copies. But, I was encouraged by the fact that nearly all of the publishers did reply and most responded with personal letters, some of which were quite encouraging (as encouraging as a rejection letter can be).

During this time I kept busy with other writing projects, and life in general. I also continued to accumulate research and stories to use in the book, although I couldn’t bring myself to start writing it without having a publisher. I eventually realized that it might be better to just find a Hungarian publisher for the book. I got the names of editors at two publishing houses from a well-known local guidebook author who I had previously interviewed. I sent them my proposal, and they replied immediately. They were both interested, and I chose the one who I thought would do a better job with the book. The contract was prepared, it went through several revisions until everything was agreed on (I had a Hungarian lawyer friend look it over), and then we signed it. The editor and publisher were enthusiastic about the book, and I was eager to get started, which I did even before the contract was officially signed. This is also where I started to learn the differences between publishing in American and in Hungary (more on that later).

I still really wanted to have the book published in America as well, so in my contract I kept the North American rights, but didn’t make any more stabs at finding an American publisher until after the book was written and I went back to the States for a visit. I was poring through the travel section at Barnes and Noble (one of the things I miss most about living in the US) checking out the new releases when I found a publisher that seemed perfect for my book. I loved their style, and they had several other food-themed travel guides on the shelves. I went home, wrote them a letter, and emailed them my entire manuscript. That was around midnight, and the next afternoon I had an email from the publisher asking me to re-send the manuscript. A few hours later she called me, told me the book was wonderful, said that she would like to publish it, and even told me the publication date. I couldn’t have been happier, and the editing process began almost immediately.

But we’re skipping ahead here, check back soon to see how I wrote and researched the book…

Read Book Update (Part I) (How Books Are Made)
Read Book Update (Part II) (The Pre-Book Phase)