How to Become an International Bestseller in 8 Steps!

1. Write novels about famous maligned women in history and Tudor spies.

C.W. Gortner tells the stories of famous historical figures as you've never heard them before. The Last Queen (Ballantine 2008) is about “Juana La Loca,” the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country's throne. The Confessions of Catherine de Medici (2010) is about the last legitimate descendant of the Medici line who became—according to some—a most ruthless queen of France. The Queen's Vow (2012) is about Isabella of Castile, the warrior-queen who sent Columbus to America. In 2016, Ballantine will publish a stunning, new Gortner novel about Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Italy's first crime family.

Gortner's The Tudor Secret (St. Martin's Press 2011), The Tudor Conspiracy (2013), and The Tudor Vendetta (forthcoming October 2014) follow the story of a spy in the Tudor court during the reigns of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.

Gortner's next novel, coming from William Morrow in March 2015, imagines the life of the woman who revolutionized fashion, built an international empire, and become one of the most influential and controversial figures of the twentieth century—Coco Chanel! Look out for Mademoiselle Chanel in the spring!

2. Make them good.

Simply put, Gortner's “meticulously researched,”¹ “page-turner”² novels “spi[n] grand tale[s] of opulence and deception, privilege and destruction, madness and fragile love”³ that “captiv[ate] audiences with their complexity,”⁴ “com[ing] together with a beauty and passion that can't be found anywhere in the pages of history books”⁵; they are “masterwork[s] by a skilled craftsman...that will delight romantics and historians alike.”⁶

---

<sup>1. Publishers Weekly on The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
2. Historical Novel Society on The Tudor Conspiracy
3. Historical Novel Review on The Last Queen
4. Examiner.com on The Tudor Secret
5. Romantic Times Book Reviews on The Queen's Vow
6. New York Journal of Books on The Queen's Vow</sup>

3. Sell your novels in 23 countries and counting.

Bulgaria * China * Croatia * Czech Republic * Estonia * Germany * Hungary * Indonesia * Italy * Latvia * Lithuania * Norway * Poland * Portugal * Romania * Russia * Serbia * Slovenia * Spain * Sweden * Turkey * United Kingdom * United States

4. Get a great Polish publicist—and a great Polish publisher and Polish coagent, etc, etc.

Above is Gortner (right) pictured with his publicist (center) from Polish publisher Znak.

5. Get sent to Poland on an international tour.

6. While in Poland, appear on popular TV and radio programs; speak at major bookstores; and get reviewed and interviewed in newspapers, magazines, websites, and blogs.

Above, Gortner talks at Matras bookstore and answers reader questions about The Queen's Vow. Among many other places, he was interviewed at Newsweek Polska and NaTemat.pl!

And check out the gorgeous banner ad for The Queen's Vow!

7. Sign lots of people's books.

8. Congratulations, you are now an international bestseller!

The Queen's Vow rocketed up the bestseller list throughout Poland soon after its release, making individual bestseller lists at Matras bookstores, Empik bookstores, and many internet bookstore outlets.

Congratulations, C.W. Gortner!

Next Step: Repeat Steps 1 – 3 and look for another great opportunity!

Love with a chance of publishing: A fearful adventurer's journey to publication

What happens when a woman who's afraid of the ocean falls in love with a man who plans to sail around the world in a rather rickety boat? Enter Torre DeRoche's memoir, LOVE WITH A CHANCE OF DROWNING, which tells this tale, one of love, adventure, and fear.

Hyperion released LOVE WITH A CHANCE OF DROWNING last month in the US, just after Penguin Australia's release in February. Summersdale in the UK will follow in July, with more international publishers to come!

The history of the book's publication is a bit of a real-life fairytale. It was originally self-published by DeRoche in 2011 under the title SWEPT: Love with a Chance of Drowning. Here's the old cover of that version:

As DeRoche promoted her book on her website and across the social media sphere, people fell in love with it, and soon separate film and UK offers came in. Shortly thereafter, DeRoche got agency representation and more offers followed! Read about DeRoche's exciting publishing adventure in her own words here.

Be sure to peruse through the rest of her website and blog, too. The experiences DeRoche recounts in her memoir began at the same time she began blogging. Now, she has nine years of blogging savvy under her belt, which means that www.fearfuladventurer.com is simply not to be missed!

While DeRoche's incredible story and compelling writing have taken the world by storm (the book has been called“thrilling” by Courier Mail, “irresistibly offbeat” by Kirkus, and “hilarious” by Vogue Australia), so too has the trailer. Complete with a catchy whistling tune and fortune cookies symbolic of fate, the trailer perfectly captures the book's tone. Take a look:



For a glimpse into what went wrong on the trip, the best parts of the trip, and why DeRoche decided to recount her story in memoir form, check out the interview below:


An Interview With Torre DeRoche from Torre DeRoche on Vimeo.

Given that multiple countries are publishing LOVE WITH A CHANCE OF DROWNING, the book has two different covers—one for the US and one for Australia and the UK. The US cover is bold and speaks to the danger of DeRoche's voyage....

...while the Australian and UK cover captures the whimsy of the adventure. Below, you can see it featured on a giant billboard at the Sydney airport!

Image courtesy of @yTravelBlog

Take a look at a sampling of the reviews from those who have already fallen in love with the book--and then be sure to pick up a copy yourself so you too can fall in love with it!

“A charming memoir...A funny, irresistibly offbeat tale about the risks and rewards of living, and loving, with an open heart.” --Kirkus

“Hilarious...recounts the adventure of a lifetime.” --Vogue Australia

“Wow, what a book. Exciting. Dramatic. Honest. Torre DeRoche is an author to follow...Such a beautiful, thrilling story you'll have to remind yourself it's not fiction.” --Australian Associated Press

“The story of how DeRoche overcame her fears, her self-deprecating humour and her way with words would have been enough to make this a great story. The fact her Argentinian boyfriend combines the passion of a Latin lover with the grit and spirit of a Scandinavian seafarer makes this book a Hollywood dream come true.”--The Sydney Morning Herald, Great Holiday Read

"In her debut, DeRoche has penned such a beautiful, thrilling story you'll have to remind yourself it's not fiction. Her language is effortless." --Courier Mail

“The book is by turns gripping, laugh-out-loud funny, moving and uplifting...any reader with a sense of adventure or a desire to confront their fears should love it.” --Bookseller+Publishing Magazine

How to depict a female pope

In celebration of the convergence of a new pope and Women's History Month, we bring to the forefront POPE JOAN by Donna Woolfolk Cross!

Pope Joan is a controversial figure from the 9th century, whose story can be found in legend and disputed historical records. According to these sources, extensively researched by Cross, Joan was a medieval woman who took up her brother's identity upon his death in a Viking attack.  She entered the monastery in his stead so she could receive the type of education denied to women in the Dark Ages.  Soon, she became renowned as a scholar and healer and ventured into Rome's political sphere. Eventually, her intelligence and talent led her to be elected pope, a position she held for two years before the discovery of her true gender.

While some discredit the legend entirely, other historians argue that enough evidence exists to prove the legend's legitimacy. They also posit that historical records are so difficult to find in the first place due to efforts by the Catholic Church to cover up the facts of Pope Joan's papacy.

In her novel, Donna Woolfolk Cross compiled her historical research into a fictionalized recounting of the type of person Pope Joan might have been, the events she might have lived through, the triumphs she might have achieved, and the trials she might have endured.

Cross's POPE JOAN was originally published by Crown in 1996 (with newer editions being released as recently as 2009). Thirty-two other countries published the book as well, and it quickly became an international bestseller. In 2009, the book was made into a movie that turned into a #1 film in Germany.  Learn more about the book and film in our previous posts here.

A female pope, especially one as surrounded in historical controversy as this one, offers many challenges and possibilities for her depiction on book covers. Some editions of the book give Pope Joan a more masculine appearance with just a hint of her female gender, others have chosen an androgynous look, while still others depict her with undeniably feminine features. Below we present several samples of the wide variations in Pope Joan's depiction across the globe.

(If you enjoy the below covers and are interested in further ruminations regarding covers, check out our post “How covers evolve across the globe” here.)

Indonesia, PT Serambi Ilmu Semesta, 2007 - This is a slightly stylized version of the 2005 US cover edition. Pope Joan's clothing doesn't look particularly feminine, but her hair is pulled back with a feminine, pearl hairpiece. You can view the 2009 US cover update, which zooms in on Pope Joan's face and cuts out the hairpiece, on the Random House website here.

Poland, Ksiaznica, 2000 - This cover has a much more ethereal feel. A face in the sky gazes over a medieval city. Is it the face of Pope Joan, looking over her congregants? Or the face of God? Meanwhile, a smaller, ghostly white figure floats over the buildings on the left.

Poland, Publicat, 2012 - For this much more recent publication of POPE JOAN in Poland, the figure of Pope Joan has been given a very masculine feel.  The depiction of her from behind avoids showing the possible feminine features of her face.  The dark brown and yellow-green coloring give the book a decidedly darker tone than Ksiaznica's Polish edition. This image is actually from a still of the movie, with the coloring changed by the publisher.

France, Presses de la Cite, 1997 - Here, Pope Joan's hair is long and she wears a dress.  She is decidedly feminine in appearance. Joan almost looks saintly, with angelic figures holding up her garments, adoring priests on her right, and adoring nuns on her left.

France, France Loisirs, 1997 – This is a French book club edition that would have appeared around the same time as the above French edition.  While Pope Joan looks more masculine in the face here, her pose, with the baby in her arms, harkens to that of paintings of the Madonna and child.

Bulgaria, Bard, 2008 - As indicated in the last cover, there is a baby involved in Pope Joan's story.  If you look closely enough, you'll see that this Bulgarian cover features a male-looking Pope Joan and a rather graphic outcome of her pregnancy. The image is based on historical paintings.

Latvia, Jumava, 2000 – Pope Joan looks very much like a nun here.  The puzzle piece stylization, with one puzzle piece missing, gestures to the mystery behind her legend.

Japan, Soshihsa, 2005 - Pope Joan's gender is ambiguous here.  The jewels and curled hair could certainly be an indication of the refinery that would have been in the pope's possession, and yet, with pearls threaded the hair as they are and around the neck like a necklace, readers are given a hint that the above might be a female figure.

Taiwan, Sitak Publishing, 2001 – This cover, by far, features the most feminine-looking version of Pope Joan, who appears more like a 1980s prom princess than anything else.  The buildings behind her give only the slightest hint that the book takes place in historical times.

Germany, Rutten and Loening, 2001 - While it may be hard to tell from our scanned version of the above cover, the red background is actually red velvet. The image in the center shows POPE JOAN with just the slightest hint of breasts.  Something about Pope Joan's story captivated readers in Germany, a country whose majority religion is split fairly evenly between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.  POPE JOAN became a mega-bestseller there, was beloved enough to be bound in velvet, and was turned into a play and a musical. Maybe the musical's next stop could be Broadway!

Korea, Yedam Publishing Company, 1999 - Here, Pope Joan's gender again appears rather ambiguous.  She looks ready for battle, sporting metal armor a bit like Joan of Arc would much later, in the fifteenth century.

UK, Quartet Books, 1998 – This cover depicts the type of wrap Joan might have worn around her chest underneath her papal clothes.  While the wrap and the necklace are certainly feminine in appearance, this cover cleverly reveals how any hints of Joan's femininity would have had to have been carefully hidden.

While a pope can be depicted in many different ways, as evidenced by the above cover images, it also seems apparent that it is a pope's actions that make a papal reign, or legend, or story, worthwhile--regardless of whether those actions were accomplished by a male or a female, a Benedict, or a Francis, or a Joan. 

In responding to the recent ascension of Pope Francis I, Donna Woolfolk Cross noted that nothing in papal edicts specifically states that a woman cannot become a pope. Maybe the next time we watch white smoke rise from the Sistine Chapel, we will be celebrating the election of a new female pope.

The secret world of rights at the Frankfurt Book Fair

Come October, when others are contemplating pumpkins, scarecrows, and costumes, the publishing rights world is packing its bags with business clothes, practical but fab shoes, and materials to let the world know about its amazing books.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the largest and longest-running book fair in the world. It began soon after Guttenberg invented the printing press as a printer's convention. Now it spans numerous halls and floors that can take days to see. Publishers from every country come to set up a stand and display their wares or recently published books in the hopes of selling them for translation into other countries. Editors from around the world get their exercise running from meeting to meeting to find their next imported gems to translate and make into a success in their language as well.

As agents, we have our special section at the fair – Hall 6.0 – otherwise known as the Literary Agents and Scouts Center. For me, my home for three days was table 12-O, a nondescript white table with four chairs and an electrical cord hanging down from the rafters. On the table, I laid out my lists of our wonderful fiction, nonfiction, and kids' books, business cards, and various notes to help me navigate the next 75 meetings. Yes, I did say 75 meetings!!!!! These meetings actually start two days before the fair in hotel lounges and coffee shops and continue each day after hours, during dinner and over drinks (I have learned the joys of Apfelwein!).

Every 30 minutes, a different editor finds my table and sits down to hear me talk about our books. I listen to their likes and dislikes, ferret out what is working in their country, and then steer them towards the books that would be the perfect fit. Invariably they leave with lists of titles to read, consider, and hopefully purchase for translation.

It is true that, at times, I feel like a wind-up doll, unwound until the butt hits the seat opposite me. I then animate and become a storyteller, trying to convey to my audience the specific elements that make a particular book wonderful and special in its own way. Luckily I am blessed to be in an agency where our agents have excellent and varied taste. I get to read and discuss kick-ass action, beautiful prose, and illuminating facts.

I also get a snapshot of how the world is doing, admittedly through the prism of books. Spain is in dire straights with one publisher telling me business is down 40% from last year. In Greece, our co-agent loves to come to Frankfurt just to escape the sad faces he is constantly seeing in his own country. Russia has recently lost their major bookstore chain and their biggest publisher is being investigated by the tax authorities, BUT this has opened up opportunities for the smaller publishers to expand their lists. Poland is obsessed with stories centered around the two World Wars. Historicals don't sell for love or money in Holland, but they are just what many of the Eastern European countries are looking for. Everyone has recently found, or is frantically looking for, their erotica novel, even though no one has any idea if it will perform.

In kids' books, realistic fiction is on the rise, picture books are more challenging to acquire with the recession hitting hard on the high cost of books, Korean manga is big worldwide, and many people want to find a funny middle grade. In genre publishing, romance is huge, science fiction is dead, crime is locked up by Scandinavian authors, and horror depends on the publisher. As long as publishers don't have an expert in their country to draw upon, prescriptive nonfiction has a chance – especially about sex and relationships. Great narrative or very serious nonfiction will make the right editor's eyes shine. And, as always, amazing reviews and/or sales can trump everything!

At the end of the week, the left-over papers and many notes get packed away, and we all grab our flights with sore throats and bleary eyes - satisfied that we have spread the word about our wonderful authors. Next stop: to the cobbler to resole our fab shoes in readiness to do it all again next year!

Favorite quote of the fair from an Italian editor about erotica novels – “We do it, we don't read it.”

The essentials: JVNLA rights lists, fab shoes,

a map of Frankfurt, and a backpack to carry it all!

How covers evolve across the globe

When a box of translated JVNLA books arrive from Taiwan, Italy, Poland, the UK, etc, we're not always sure what we're about to open.  Sure, we know which books we've sold in which countries to which publishers, but we often don't know what the covers of the translated editions will look like.  And, boy, can those covers vary!  Some international publishers choose to use the US cover.  Others design their own covers to suit the tastes of their market.  The result is that each package of international editions is a new adventure.

Below is a look at how widely the covers can vary across the globe, using three books as examples: A DOUBLE LIFE, THE TUDOR SECRET, and ENOLA HOLMES: THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS.

The San Jose Mercury News called A DOUBLE LIFE by Lisa Catherine Harper a "wry, revealing memoir of motherhood."  The National Book Critics Circle named it one of the top 12 of the Best of the Small Presses and praised it for its "incredibly rich and enlightening" narrative.

The cover of the US edition, published by University of Nebraska Press, displays an expectant mother looking down on her expanding stomach, her legs lost beneath her. 

Meanwhile, the Taiwanese edition, published by Heliopolis Culture Group Co., Ltd., features a pregnant blonde woman, loosely covered in a blue bikini, as she walks across an idyllic-looking beach, lost in contemplation.

And, finally, the Italian edition, published by De Agostini, takes a more commercial approach.  The cover portrays a young woman in a colorful shirt, looking up at the book's title, perhaps pondering how "la doppia vita," or the doubled life of being both woman and mother, will pan out.  Notice how there is no bulging belly on this cover. 

C.W. Gortner's THE TUDOR SECRET tells the fictional tale of Brendan Prescott, a spymaster for Elizabeth I before she became Queen of England.  Publishers Weekly called the book "a riveting, fast-paced thriller" and The Historical Novel Society commended its ability to "captur[e] the very essence of Tudor glitz and glamour, and the depravity of it all as well."

Below is the cover of the US edition, published by St. Martin's Press, featuring a dashing male and female duo (Brendan and Elizabeth).  The cover could almost be a movie poster, with the burnt markings around the title lending it a sense of edginess. 

The Polish edition, published by Publicat, zooms in on Elizabeth, allowing the details of her regal apparel to take the attention.  But look carefully to the left of Elizabeth's face and you'll see someone hiding behind the curtains.

The Italians have taken a more symbolic approach with their edition, published by Casa Editrice Corbaccio.  A green-tinged copper doorknocker in the shape of a lion, set against a brown background, dominates the cover.

Probably the darkest cover is the UK edition's, published by Hodder and Stoughton.  The predominant grey and black color scheme lends the book a foreboding feel, as does the distant fog.  The cover is divided into three parts: a fog-enshrouded male figure, a gold ring, and the title in blood-red.

Nancy Springer's THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS is the first in Springer's ENOLA HOLMES series.  Enola has a knack for sleuthing just like her older brother, Sherlock Holmes, but she has an agenda all her own.  Booklist praised the series for possessing "just the right mix of nascent nineteenth-century feminist and awkward teen."  Other reviewers have raved about the "unique voice" (Publishers Weekly, starred review), "precise characterization, fast pacing, and keen observation" (Kirkus).  The series has garnered two Edgar Award nominations over time.

The first book was published by Penguin/Philomel in 2006 with the below cover, which depicts Enola in action, astride her bike.  The setting is dark and rather mysterious, given the brown, dark green, and maroon color scheme.  It is also clue-ridden: notice the letters twisted amongst the trees.

The Brazilian edition, published by Novo Seculo, maintains the same dark, mysterious feel as the US edition.  The predominant colors are dark brown and orange.  Enola is similarly featured front and center.

In the French edition, published by Nathan, Sherlock Holmes makes an appearance on the cover.  Enola, meanwhile, appears particularly sleuth-y, as she looks out of the corner of her eyes from behind a newspaper.  This cover has a rather elegant feel, with a floral pattern covering a little over half of the cover and the title embossed over top of the pattern.

The Israeli edition, published by Miskal, combines symbol with image.  A keyhole reveals Enola, looking a bit panicked, in the midst of her sleuthing.  Sherlock looms behind her. 

The Japanese edition, published by Shogakukan, is quite a departure from the other editions.  The colors are brighter, the characters are illustrated manga-style, and Enola is a blonde.  This Enola, in her slim-fitted dress and flowing hair, looks the most "girly" of all the editions...thus demonstrating that Enola can be girly as well as a bad-ass sleuth.

Last but not least, we have the newest US cover, published by Penguin/Puffin in 2011.  The black and red coloring, along with the filigreed designs, lend a very gothic feel to the book.  The other five books in the series have been re-released with the same gothic design, each in a different color, along with a new logo: "Outsmarting the world's greatest sleuth."  This cover uses even more clues than the original US edition did; the seven blue-circled items each portray a different one.

The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc, Announces New Venture

Partners Jean Naggar and Jennifer Weltz of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc, are excited to announce a number of changes in the Agency in response to the expanding needs of our authors in an evolving market.

A New Venture for our Agency:
 
After great success placing over 70 back-list JVNLA titles with emerging publishers, The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc, has expanded its services to offer co-agent representation to literary agencies for reprint rights in both electronic and print formats.

Unlike many Agencies in both the US and UK who have chosen to publish or help their clients self publish their authors' back-list, The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency has taken a unique and successful approach to their authors' titles by pairing them up with emerging e-book or print and e-book publishers. Consequently, the JVNLA authors gain an added vested party in the re-release of the title.

Over the past two years, JVNLA has cultivated a number of relationships with a variety of players in the e-book/POD marketplace and continues to expand its understanding of this arena as new players emerge and opportunities evolve.

We are interested in partnering with agencies managing a back-list where original publication rights or e-rights were either clearly reserved by the author, or have reverted back to the author. Using the information we have compiled, we will strategize with the primary agent to find the best placement for the reprint rights, either with an e-book publishing partner or a more traditional print publisher. All other rights, outside of reprint rights in print and electronic formats, will continue to be managed by the primary agent.

Publishers Weekly on JVNLA's New Venture: link here.

Web Site:

To better assist our authors' efforts in Social Networking and outreach to readers, we at JVNLA have created an author/reader focused web-site which highlights our authors' current releases, their distinguished awards, and rave reviews. With over 1,000 titles sold out of the Agency, we were unable to list all of them on the site, but we have made available information on all of our authors as well as their hundreds of accolades.

To better help readers connect with authors, we have an active blog highlighting recent activity for our books and we offer direct help to Book Groups in making their title selections.

We no longer accept print queries but have streamlined our query process to better serve prospective clients.

International representation:

With sales in over 50 countries JVNLA is committed to finding the best representation around the world. Our new representatives in Israel and Holland are The Deborah Harris Agency and Mo Literary, respectively.

Personnel:

In an effort to further expand our reach into the Australian market, Laura Biagi will be directly selling our list in this territory. Laura will continue to assist both Agency partners, Jean Naggar and Jennifer Weltz, as well as assisting Jennifer Weltz in all Subsidiary-Rights submissions.

Contract and Royalties Manager, Tara Hart, will now also be overseeing and selling all e-reprint rights as well as managing the New Venture above with Jennifer Weltz.

CONTACT: Jennifer Weltz  
212-794-1082
jweltz@jvnla.com

Italian trailer for A SEA IN FLAMES

Carl Safina's A SEA IN FLAMES (Crown, April 2011) has just been released in Italy, and the publisher, VerdeNero, has created a fabulous trailer for the book!  Now, it may be a little difficult to understand the entire trailer if you don't speak Italian, but we thought this was just too cool not to share!

US reviews for this incredible book: 

"[A SEA IN FLAMES] offers a revealing, thoughtful history of a moment when human manipulation of nature malfunctioned spectacularly...Written in a clear, conversational style...Readers will find the book accessible and agreeable...An insightful work." --The New York Times Book Review

"Not since Rachel Carson wrote her sea trilogy has a conservationist written about marine ecosystems with the factual elegance of Carl Safina." --The Washington Post

POPE JOAN Film Premiers at #1 in Germany

From ScreenDaily.com:

"Constantin’s UK-Germany-Spain-Italy co-production Pope Joan . . . made a strong start to its run, with a $5m tally from 565 screens in three territories. The lion’s share of the gross came from Germany, where the film secured top spot with $4.4m from 465 screens, a $9,500 average. Set in the 9th century, the drama follows a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to rise through the ranks of the Vatican. Pope Joan opens in Belgium on November 18 and Netherlands on December 17."













Crown paperback rerelease June 2009

POPE JOAN Motion Picture, German Trailer