This is a term I invented. It is a comprehensive meeting with the author, the editor, the agent, possibly the editorial director, and people from sales, marketing, and publicity.
It’s powerful because it gets to the heart of things and then things get done. I love these meetings because they are cordial but thoughtful. We go over what is working and what is not. If something isn’t working, we talk about how to fix or replace it. It’s important to go in with a positive attitude instead of looking for trouble. If there is trouble, you will find out in this meeting. Say they promised to do summer reading tables, and that never happened. You can find out why. It could be that they dropped the ball. Or it could be that the last two didn’t increase sales, and Barnes & Noble decided not to continue. That is not what you want to hear, but it’s valuable information. And like it or not, it’s what you came for.
It’s a good time to make suggestions and toss around ideas with everyone in the same place (or virtually). If possible, I prefer to have them in person, because that requires a greater level of commitment. It’s easier to slide by on a Zoom call, but you have to be prepared when you’re looking into someone’s eyeballs. I always bring an agenda with questions and ideas and I expect everyone else to do the same. Also, it usually means the author has flown in, which makes it a much bigger deal.
The tone of all this should be upbeat. Everyone wants the same thing, which is for the books to make money, so there is no need for contention. If you feel they are doing little to nothing, you can point that out in a polite but firm way. Ask them why their commitment feels light to you. Have reasonable expectations. If you thought they were going to do national TV ads for your second mystery novel, that is not reasonable.
Be prepared for honesty. This is not a time to hype or exaggerate. It’s a time for truth. If your last book didn’t do well, everyone is disappointed. But why? Why didn’t it do well? Was it too much of a departure from your usual brand? Was the publisher’s support less than the last book? Why? Are they thinking outside the box? Are you? Maybe you chose a difficult topic that put the readers off. Maybe your website and social media are not engaging enough. Maybe you need a video or a blog. Maybe they dropped the ball somewhere, or maybe they didn’t drop the ball but there was a good reason for whatever you are curious about. Sometimes they try to accomplish something and don’t, but they don’t want to tell you. For example, they tried to get several radio spots, but no one was interested. They don’t want to tell you that because it’s disappointing and they think it’s better to leave it unsaid. But it isn’t. You still want to know, because maybe there is something you can do about it. Or maybe not. Better to know and then you can move on.
When do we have these kinds of meetings? When the time feels right to have one. It could be once a year, it could be next week, or it could be never. There is no rule about this. It usually happens either when things are going very well, or when something has gone wrong that can be fixed.
I have never had one that went badly. Publishers are people too, and they want you to be happy. They get a lot of complaints, so it’s always a good idea to show some gratitude. They should do that too. That is basic business and it works every time.
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