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Joined: 3/16/2011
Posts: 214
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I’ve been wondering something lately. “What’s my value to a
publisher, sum total? Why would a publisher want to work with me?” Let’s assume
that all of us on Book Country wrote magnificent publish-worthy books. What
else do you have to offer in terms of the intangibles, such as work ethic and
good communication/interpersonal skills?
What else, aside from sheer talent, makes you someone
publishers want to deal with?
(Will answer my own question later after I think about it.)
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Joined: 3/16/2011
Posts: 214
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@Addley
Professionalism is one of my strengths, too. Well, I've been working with editors in some capacity for almost twenty years, and I've kept my coolest with the meanest and snarkiest of them! 
I think that my primary strength is that I understand what needs to be done to make a book publishable. I'm not a diva; I don't get precious about keeping things that I am told don't work. I play well with others!
Also, I have a strong marketing background. I know what can sell, who it sells to and how to sell it to that particular demographic.
Weaknesses: I (personally) don't like to be the focus of attention. That makes me uncomfortable. It's why I gave up a career as a concert pianist and turned to writing instead.
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Joined: 6/14/2012
Posts: 194
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Neil Gaiman said, in a commencement address, that success in any field (including writing) rested on three things: doing good work, doing it on time, and being easy to get along with...and that you could survive if you accomplished any two of the three. I try to make it three out of three, and so far haven't fallen off the published list.
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@Elizabeth: Thank you! Those three points make sense.
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Joined: 6/14/2012
Posts: 194
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Neil said it first--and so clearly, and with such good humor, that it stuck in my head. That, and having seen good writers' careers go nowhere because they were so difficult or so unreliable that they wore out their publishers' patience. I'm far from perfect myself, but I haven't derailed the train yet and my editors and publishers have--so far--put up with the unintentional errors.
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