A Writer Sent His Book Proposal to Someone Impersonating a Literary Agent.

A writer sent his work to someone he believed was literary agent Eric Smith. The name checked out. Smith represents authors at Neighborhood Literary. The trouble was the person on the other end of the email.

On November 4, Jane Friedman published part of their correspondence. The sender acknowledged the writer’s 20-page proposal, then offered to introduce a specialist to prepare a letter for publishers. The writer asked Friedman whether that was normal and what it might cost. She asked to see the emails.

What I’d check before sending a proposal is the agency’s own submission instructions.

Look up the agency yourself. If the address or submission route differs from the one in the message, use the contact details on the agency website to ask whether the request came from its agent.

Wait for an answer before you send a manuscript or agree to hire anyone.

Neighborhood Literary warns that people use its agents’ names to solicit money. The agency says it charges no reading fees or upfront costs. Friedman’s account · Agency warning and submission instructions

Publishing Changes That Affect Your Book

A November 23 Apple Books release needs a November 9 delivery

Apple posted its holiday schedule on October 14. If you chose November 23 for your Apple Books release, deliver the book by Monday, November 9. For a November 30 or December 7 release, Apple asks for delivery by November 16.

A December 14 release needs delivery by November 30. For December 21, deliver by December 7. For December 28 or January 4, deliver by December 14. Apple says late delivery can put the release date at risk. It also recommends avoiding changes from December 21 through December 28.

Find your release date on Apple’s schedule and mark the corresponding delivery date. If a distributor sends your files to Apple, ask when it needs them to meet that date. Apple Books holiday delivery schedule

Audible gives you a choice about AI answers and recaps

On November 2, Audible expanded two features to selected English-language audiobooks in the United States. Ask a Question gives a listener an AI-generated answer about the book. Recaps gives a listener a short audio summary up to the point they reached. Audible plans to include more eligible ACX titles in the U.S. in early December.

If your audiobook teaches from Scripture or recounts someone’s experience, you may want to know who writes the summary your listener hears. Audible generates it. ACX says you can’t edit the recap yourself. You can ask to remove both features together from your title.

If you want to opt out, contact ACX Customer Care with the title of your audiobook. Include the Parent Product ID from your earnings statement if you have it. Customer Care can help locate the ID from the title. ACX announcement · ACX opt-out instructions

Where to find Audible Plus income in KDP reports

On October 30, KDP explained why some historical page counts changed. Its Kindle Edition Normalized Pages report now combines pages readers read and pages listeners heard through Kindle+. A filter separates the two. KDP removed listening through Audible Plus from the page totals for audiobooks with virtual voice, including historical totals.

KDP still pays for that Audible Plus listening separately. The Royalties Estimator leaves it out. For a virtual voice title, open Prior Months’ Royalties and look in the Audible Royalties column. KDP adds the previous month’s Audible Plus listening amount there around the middle of the month. The column also includes other Audible activity for virtual voice titles.

Compare the same title and month in the reports before drawing a conclusion about your payment. KDP’s October 30 reporting FAQ

IngramSpark revises two regional print schedules

Last issue I gave you IngramSpark’s provisional dates for the UK and Australia. Its holiday page now recommends December 4 for UK hardcovers and November 30 for Australian hardcovers. It recommends December 7 for paperbacks in both places.

If you used the earlier estimates to plan a church book table or a Christmas order, update your calendar. Allow for printing and shipping separately, especially if you need copies before the holiday itself. IngramSpark’s regional order dates

Your Checklist This Week

• Check an agent’s submission address before sending a proposal or paying for help.

• Match your Apple Books delivery date or IngramSpark order date to the edition you plan to release.

• If you publish audio, decide whether to keep Audible’s two AI features and check the right report for virtual voice income.

If you need help with your book proposal

If you can describe what your book covers but struggle to say who needs it, I can help you work through that question. Book a free Writer’s Clarity Call.