Anyone Can Become a Publisher
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 27th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Technology has made it relatively inexpensive to publish books and the result is a proliferation of small companies estimated to exceed 70,000. These small companies publish lists of titles ranging from one to several hundred per year. The vast majority have annual revenues well short of $1 million American dollars.
If you are an Independent Author with one or two books, consider setting yourself up as a small publisher. Writers incur expenses and those expenses can be tax deductible (please consult with your tax advisor). When your manuscript is finished and you are making decisions on how to publish, consider doing it yourself or look for a small company with expertise, one that has been in business for a number of years.
The key is making certain your publisher has experience. Avoid getting caught up in becoming someone’s test case. If the companies you are considering has suddenly hung out a shingle and announced to the world they are a publisher, you might keep looking. Even though I’ve been around publishing for almost 30 years, there is still plenty to learn about the production of books.
It’s not just about getting your manuscript published, but getting it published right. Visit bookstores and examine books. Ask your book formatter and printer for samples of their work. Compare prices. It’s time consuming and there are lots of decisions to make. However, consumers can spot an amateur and that may hurt your sales.
Anyone can become a publisher in today’s environment, it’s your choice. This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.
A Story Worth Telling, Again
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 20th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
This story comes from an author who was gracious enough to share with my readers in hopes it will help others…
This whole publishing thing has been very frustrating for me, as I am sure it is for many, many of the unknown authors in our society.
My story is not unique.
I wrote this book for which I have a great passion.
About 10 years ago I met a couple who were in the process of publishing several books. And they promised me an inside track with their publisher. They offered to review my book and in two installments I gave him $10,000…. And also gave his girl friend an additional $6,000 at 500.00 a month for a year…. As I looked at them as a couple influential in getting my book published. They seemed to believe it had great value.
After about 4 years of patiently waiting, they advised me to simply put my book out there in POD format. Needless to say, I was greatly disappointed.
From some source I learned I needed a literary agent. I went on line and searched through the listing for literary agents I came in contact with a man that I thought was a literary agent. He offered to review my book for $125.00. He promised to read it through and evaluate the manuscript. He thought the book “should be in the bookstores.”
He offered several services and I took the one in two installments of $4200.00 each to completely go through the manuscript making type corrections, offering suggestions for shortening the manuscript…. Giving me Chapter titles and writing a necessary query letter to Literary agents. So I realized he was not an agent, but he promised to get me the needed help and so I went for it.
At the completion of his work…. He sent me a copy double spaced of the manuscript along with CD’s of the script, plus a goodly stock of literary agents that he suggested I query with his letter about 3 a week. I did 10 a week for quite some time… Rejected time and time again. I did receive some comments that were encouraging, stating from time to time that the material was compelling.
I knew at the outset finding a publisher would be difficult.
…This story is not unique, I come across these writers on a regular basis. If you gain nothing else from my newsletter please understand that it’s a buyer beware business. There are never any guarantees!
This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.
Bad Manners Do Not Sell Books
By Jerry D. Simmons | June 6th, 2007 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Manners make all the difference in the world of lasting impressions. BookExpo was held this past weekend in New York City. Some reliable sources in attendance passed along some very disturbing information. Seems this year some of the more desperate Independent Authors decided the only way to gain attention was through displaying bad manners.
They tried the hard sell routine by pitching their books to those in line to have books autographed by other authors. These indie authors used the same approach at escalators and on elevators, pitching to whomever would listen, shoving information into people’s hands. They were described as acting like those who come up and “wash your windshield without you wanting it done.”
If a small group of people were talking…with friends or with their agent…these indie authors would interrupt and do their pitch. Interrupting small private conversations, throwing your pitch around, harassing people waiting in line does nothing but create an image of a group out of control. This is certainly a bad reflection on Independent Authors in general. The mistakes of a few can tarnish the image of many, and Independent Authors as a whole do not need to add that image to their reputation.
This is not the proper way to sell books. This kind of behavior will eliminate any possibility of those badly mannered authors gaining the proper attention, let alone selling books. The attention an author wants from the industry involves great writing and great stories. The book industry will not respond favorably to rude behavior. To get positive attention an author must write to the best of their ability and learn how to tell a great story. Authors owe that to readers.
A very good friend of mine told me that “Bad manners are never in vogue, and no one (NOT even Oprah) owes us anything just because we wrote a book.”
This blog is unedited, please disregard mistakes in spelling and grammar.
