Newbie Author's Guide

Helping new and aspiring authors navigate the publishing wilderness

Interview with Sarah Juckes and Introducing CompletelyNovel.com

By Leave a Comment

I would like to welcome Sarah Juckes the communications manager of CompletelyNovel.com. She is here to answer some questions and introduce their model for independent publishing. Delve into the questions and feel free to go by their site and kick their tires and see if they may be right for you.

Completely Novel

1) Can you explain CompletelyNovel in 50 words?

CompletelyNovel is a friendly publishing platform, specializing in helping authors create, publish and sell beautiful print books. We’re a little different to most publishing platforms. For one – we offer 100% royalty rates. We also have a friendly team on hand when needed, expert advice on tap and some of the best print quality around.

(That was 54 words – sorry!)

2) 100% royalties – how does that work?

Rather than taking a commission from book sales, we offer authors the option to ‘subscribe’ to publishing for one flat fee per month, or per year.

So, let’s say an author subscribes to our publishing Plus Plan. She pays £7.99/$11.99 per month to publish two different titles – perhaps her novel and its sequel. For this, she gets the use of our online tools to create her book, the opportunity to print copies at cost price, two ISBNs and distribution worldwide via high-quality print-on-demand.

As we don’t take any commission from her book sales, 100% of the book royalties are passed back to her on the first working day of every month. And that’s it! No upfront fees or hidden costs needed.

3) How is this different to publishers such as Createspace and Lulu?

Most other publishing platforms operate by taking a commission from your book sales, or by charging an upfront fee. As we cover our costs with a monthly subscription, an author can earn 100% book royalties. These means she will only ever pay £7.99/$11.99 per month to publish, whether she sells ten books, or ten thousand.

Currently, CreateSpace take a 40% commission of the retail price of every book sale, and Lulu takes 20% of the royalties. The math can get a bit confusing, so we’ve covered it in full detail using Pride and Prejudice as an example, here.

4) What kind of authors suit CompletelyNovel’s publishing subscriptions?

Our subscription model particularly suits authors who sell more than six copies of their book a month, so we have a lot of passionate writers on CompletelyNovel who are working to do just that.

Authors don’t need to have any previous experience with publishing. We have lots of free advice for newbies on our website, so they can learn as they go.

Books doing particularly well with us at the moment range from travel memoirs, to women’s fiction – literary masterpieces to business books. Ultimately, we find that a book’s success is down to the determination of the author who drives them.

5) What kind of authors DON’T suit CompletelyNovel?

CompletelyNovel isn’t for everyone. Authors who are looking for a ‘hands on’ publishing experience are better off going to a publishing services provider – the cost of which can be anything upwards of £700/$1000. We also don’t currently offer eBook distribution, although 99% of our authors publish an eBook independently to go alongside their print book, which we encourage.

One of the great things about subscribing to publishing on a monthly basis is that authors are free to leave whenever they want. They maintain all copyright to their work and their book will simply become unavailable if they choose to leave.

6) What’s the cost of a standard print book on CompletelyNovel?

Authors can actually calculate the print cost of their book here.

So – for an average 250 page paperback novel, it’s about £3.25/$5.04.

7) Where are you based?

We are in sunny Brighton, just south of London (by the sea) in the UK. We’re a small and friendly team, and most of us are actually writers ourselves.

Although we’re based in the UK, thanks to the wonders of the internet, we have authors publishing with us from all over the world.

8) Where can writers find more information?

Authors can find out more about what we do, here.

If you want more information on how subscribing to publishing works, we’ve popped it into a handy infographic, which you can find, here.

And yes – you can even drop me a line via a contact form, here.

Guest Post: Crowdfunding & Why It Should Be Important To You by Justine Schofield

By 5 Comments

I would like to welcome Justine Schofield from Pubslush to NAG today. She will talk about crowdfunding and how it will help authors. She will also share some info about Pubslush. Just for coming by where and reading, she has a special treat at the end. Enjoy! Have a question? Leave a comment!

Crowdfunding presents a unique opportunity for those looking to raise funds in the current economic landscape. Whether you have a startup business idea, an innovative new product or a creative project, you can now rally the support of the crowd to gain funding and awareness. Through the reward-based crowdfunding model, project creators can offer supporters and early adopters exclusive benefits and incentives in exchange for their financial pledge.

Not only does crowdfunding offer the go-getters of the world with an opportunity to fund their project outside of conventional funding options, it’s an industry that’s growing. Quickly.

The crowdfunding industry has more than tripled since 2011 and continues to expand at an exponential rate. Now, the crowds of consumers are able to act as the gatekeepers to verify a potential business or creative idea. Isn’t it a novel idea to include consumers in the creation process? This is the idea behind the innovative invention company, Quirky, who uses crowd verification to decide what products they produce.

 

So, why should this emerging trend be important to you? At the risk of being overly sentimental, it’s a way of making dreams come true. Working for Pubslush, a niche crowdfunding platform exclusive to publishing and literary projects, I see firsthand the impact crowdfunding has on individuals. We’ve had many authors thank us profusely, send us cards in the mail (which we love), and tell us repeatedly that without our platform and personalized service, they wouldn’t have been able to publish their book.

 

Specific to authors, crowdfunding provides them with opportunities above and beyond raising funds. Of course, as previously stated, the ability to raise funds to publish is very important to many authors and can be the difference between holding your book in your hands and having it saved to your Desktop. But the benefits don’t stop at funding.

 

The reward-based model also allows authors to collect pre-orders, which provides the opportunity to begin an aggressive and actionable book marketing campaign before the book is even published. In a recent interview with Parnassus Books, bestselling author Tony Earley said, “I’ve always thought that any book that isn’t pre-sold, that doesn’t receive any attention beforehand, seems more like an afterthought than a book, something that no one values very highly.”

 

It’s true, the marketing for a book never really ends. One can only hope that a book will build such momentum that it begins to market itself through word-of-mouth, but how does an author build that momentum? It begins well before the book is published.

 

Writing is a process, and so is publishing. If you want your book to sell, taking the proper steps to publish is just as important as writing. Crowdfunding for a book gives authors a way to test the market and gauge audience interest. If an author isn’t able to collect pre-orders or gain interest in their book before it’s published, odds are they won’t sell a substantial number of books come publication time either. This could be an indication the author needs to take a step back and work on building their audience. The more planning and preparation that goes into the pre-publication phase, the more streamlined and successful the overall publishing process will be.

 

The opportunity for authors to begin thinking critically about their book, engage with potential readers and collect pre-order is perhaps, more than anything else, the most important aspect of crowdfunding for authors and something all serious authors should consider. Publishing a successful book isn’t easy, but if you’re educated and take the proper steps in the process, you will see much better results come publication time.

 

Join the Pubslush community using the promo code NEWBIE to receive The Guide: Tips For Success on Pubslush & Beyond.

 

—

 

Justine Schofield is the development director of Pubslush, a global a pre-publication platform that allows authors and publishers to raise funds, collect pre-orders and tangibly market their upcoming book project. A writer at heart, Justine received her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. A prominent voice in the publishing industry and an advocate for educating authors and publishers about crowdfunding, she has contributed to IBPA’s Independent magazine, Self-Publishers Monthly, Book Marketing Magazine, Business Banter and many more online publications. She tweets for @pubslush. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

 

 

 

Guest Post: Five Ways of Conduct Regarding Professional Behavior as an Author by Lauren Todd

By Leave a Comment

I would like to welcome Lauren Todd to NAG today. She is here to share some thoughts about how authors should behave professionally. Being an author is a job in itself with public relations. Enjoy!

“Be professional.”

This line applies to authors everywhere, be it a newbie or a seasoned and well-known writer.

But, what does being professional means and who defines it anyway?

Being a professional isn’t just with your talents and skills. It’s also in the way you carry yourself through your words and actions. This means a lot and is a reflection of your personality. Put your best foot forward always.

And here are some tips on how to behave professionally, as an author and person:

1. Being prompt and on time for everything

One thing that defines a professional person is being on time always. This isn’t only applied to book authors and writers, but to everyone who ever has to work and live.

Why do we always have to be on time? Well, think of it this way: the world doesn’t revolve around us. We are living and working with other people, too, and they also have a time to manage. This is the basic thought behind being on time. Not only that, it also helps us to manage our schedules better when we do things at the right time, like submit a manuscript a week before the deadline or arrive at an appointment 15 minutes beforehand. When we do and finish tasks on time, this leaves us room for other activities and relaxation.

Authors always have to deal with deadlines, which makes time an important priority for them. Manage your time wisely so you’ll be known as the writer who’s always on time. That’s a good image to have.

2. Being considerate

An author is considerate when s/he thinks of people and situations before insisting what s/he he wants or thinks about. When a person’s inconsiderate, that may come off as rude and selfish. An author must be considerate of the people around them. Basically, an author is considered as “public property,” especially if they’re the really prominent ones. One thing they speak or an action done can weigh so much on them and their professional careers. Think of the people who will be affected if ever you had a rash misdeed.

3. Accessible

Social media has made it easier nowadays for authors to interact with their fans and other important people in their lives. If before, they would get fan mails, now there’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and email to help fans reach out to them. In return, they get to interact with the fans as well, even if they chose to remain anonymous to help maintain their private lives.

But, still remain professional even if you’re accessed easily through social media. Respond to reviews with a simple “thank you,” and you don’t have to talk too much through your comments. If you receive negative comments, just shrug it off, and let that reflect the poor behavior of the person who commented. You don’t have to be defensive always.

4. Think first before reacting

It’s so easy to get carried away with your feelings if someone bashed your work or your boss gets mad at you over something. But before you get mad and pick a fight, think things over. You don’t want to be known as that hot-headed writer, right? Any kind of behavior you manifest is a representation of your publishing company, or yourself, if you chose to go indie. Present the best version of you. It’s difficult if you really want to react especially if you know you’re right. But think of the consequences that comes with negative behavior, whether online or in real life. So many people had their reputations tainted because of an online remark or a fight with someone.

Don’t be that kind of author.

5. Always do your best

It’s not always a field day for authors. Not all of their works are bestsellers, with rave reviews and skyrocketing sales. There are times that it goes slow for them, and it’s so easy to get disheartened when things don’t go your way. Don’t let bad days get you down. Keep on doing your best and improving in your craft. Most of all, don’t make fame the motivation for your writing. It’ll only frustrate you when you don’t get the fame you want. Write, because you want to. People easily know if a story has potential. Being recognized for your works and people liking you are only results.

Unleash your love for writing, along with good training and proper behavior expected of a professional author, and this will help you in achieving your dreams and goals.

About the author: Lauren Todd wrote her first story in her old notebook and it’s been with her until now. She plans to join the growing field of online literary writers. Now she’s busy with her full time job and also works as a freelancer for a uk essay writing company.

Are Retailers Stacking the Deck?

By Leave a Comment

stacking the deck

During the holiday weekend I stumbled across a post that piqued my attention on Facebook. It led me to the blog of Maya Cross and so then I found the daisy chain of other articles and other names. Here are the articles for your reading pleasure (there are more embedded in them as well):

Goodreads

Daily Mail UK (Amazon)

Passive Voice

Hugh Howey

The forerunner of this controversy is Barnes and Noble with Amazon falling in second. Who is to know if other retailers are doing it? Who knows at this point.

If you are an author this should tick you off.

If you are a reader this should tick you off.

The readers have spoken. It’s the readers who really choose who the bestsellers are and who rises and who falls. They are the real gatekeepers. Everything around publishing is about the reader. That’s why writers write, reviewers write reviews, why books and ereaders exist…

The Big 6 do not determine who succeeds. The NYT does not. USA Today does not. It’s the readers–always has been. So why in the world are retailers (and anyone else who is involved) should be stacking the deck in favor of ANYONE else? Why are they hiding what readers want? Even if Angelina Jolie wrote a book, it still shouldn’t be #1 because someone stacked the deck. That should only happen, if the readers say so by talking about it and buying it.

The common denominator is that these authors are indie. Indie authors have discovered there is a glass ceiling despite the readers have spoken. There is also discrimination of genre. This creates the problem of discovering more readers which is the whole idea behind everything an author does. This is not a traditional vs indie author post. At all. If the shoe was on the other foot, then it still wouldn’t be right. There really isn’t a division among authors–we all do the same thing. We all write something, hammer it as close to perfection as possible, and try to find a readership.

This outrage also has a bit of hypocrisy to it as well (see sources).

The point here is it shouldn’t matter where the book comes from or who made it, if the readers want it, and they say it rocks. They are the ones who choose what they want to read, not Random House or NYT or some invisible elitist group. It’s up to the authors to write it or write something new and try to get it discovered. Everyone else are just middlemen who get the product to the buyer (reader) in a pretty package.

From a business standpoint this doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Barnes and Noble has driven another nail into their own coffin by doing this. Neither do we need a monopoly which wouldn’t benefit anyone either. What are we to do? Spread the love. How? Publish and distribute at as many retailers as possible and readers buy at more than one if/whenever they can.

If B&N doesn’t get their act together they may be out of business and it will make Amazon that much closer to world domination (which we don’t need). As long as Amazon has competitors, then it will be in check and be a nice place for authors (their system isn’t perfect). Just another reason why to spread the love.

Company Review: Telemachus Press

By Leave a Comment

telemachus Press

Telemachus Press  is a work for hire POD and ebook publishing company that I heard a bit about a couple of years ago when I won a  grand prize author package from Bookbuzzr in 2011. For the review I will be discussing their ebook service since that was the service I used. I did not use their POD service so it will not be reviewed, but I will mention it later.

Telemachus Press was the publisher who formatted and published the ebook version of Escape from Ancient Egypt. The ebook version also has a lot of artwork, but due to the smaller nature of ebook interior formatting the same types of problems that presented themselves for the print did not occur.

Disclaimer: The review is based on my overall experience with the publishing process. The prize winnings via Bookbuzzr have no influence over the integrity of the review.

Contract:

The contract is very straight forward and easy to understand. There is nothing hidden in clouds of legalese and everything is disclosed up front. No cloak and dagger/bait and switch stuff here.

All author accounts belong to the author regardless if they set them up for you.

Authors own and have access to all digital files. What you pay them to create for you, you own. You can ask for these after publication or at any time at no additional cost.

TP doesn’t take any royalties from the author after retailer fees (i.e. Amazon.com). So the author takes home the profit.

The Process:

You will send in your manuscript as a word document, and you are encouraged to have it edited. They do have editing services available to you should you need an edit which I will touch on briefly. I sent this in with all the artwork in place where it was supposed to be. The ebook service does include a custom cover with up to 5 included stock photos, but since I already had a cover, I simply had one alteration done to it. It takes as many tries as it takes until you are happy with your book.

All of the artwork and text is formatted for Amazon’s KDP platform and for Smashwords premium distribution. During formatting, if there may be minor things that slipped past the editor, author, and proofreader (it happens), they will also correct these for you at no additional cost.

You are sent files to preview for approval before they will be published. Once approved TP will upload these to Smashwords and KDP. For Smashwords, TP will make certain that the files are approved for the premium catalog before everything is considered complete. This can be the most frustrating part about working with Smashwords at times.

TP is very key on quality which is good. If something doesn’t look or work right they will let you know and take steps to fix it if possible.

Customer Service:

TP has great customer service. They respond to you emails in a timely manner and they don’t harass you relentlessly. They don’t call you unless it’s really necessary or if they set up a time with you ahead of time. They usually communicate by email. Everyone I have had contact with have been very friendly and helpful.

Website:

The website is easy to navigate and looks very professional. Very user friendly.

Other Services of Interest:

POD: TP also offers POD services through LS for paperback, hardcover, or both. However, do you really make 100% royalties through their POD model? For more info about their figures click here. Actual printing costs can be $.013-.015 per page and $.90  for a paperback cover for a regular 6X9 paperback book. Anything over that then the publisher is marking up the book, and when that happens, the publisher is pocketing money that is actually yours, if they claim to be giving you 100% royalties. Based upon what I see on their website, TP is the only other publisher that is really giving you 100% royalties and not marking up printing and without having to do it yourself.

Editing: For more information about their editing services click here. Since I did not use their editing service, I don’t know how good it is. You are free to use your own editor, which I did. My assessment of the editing cost is that it is a bit steep from what I consider the ideal for indie publishing, but it is isn’t in the ridiculous range. My figures for basic edit: .008 to .015 per word, a line/content/stylistic edit: .01-.035, and developmental/substantive edit: .035-.045. If you haven’t found your own editor yet, this is definitely an option. A higher price for editing is better than having no edit at all; editing is not the place to skimp.

Marketing Helps: These come at no additional cost and are included with your services. You can post any achievements or upcoming events on their publicity blog. They do have a catalog on their site in which they will list your books and their formats with purchase links and links back to your site. They don’t offer marketing services, so it it will still be up to you to market your book. Remember this is still self publishing.

Spark: For more information click here. Another and newer form of their ebook publishing service. The service I got for free actually would retail for more, but Spark didn’t exist when I won the package. Anyway, from what I read I am not too sure what the difference is between Spark and the other ebook service. I wouldn’t be surprised if the higher priced service went away if it hasn’t already.

Costs:

For a summary of costs click here. This is in the neighborhood of fair publishing costs as far as POD is concerned–if you are going to hire someone to help you and you not do it on your own, and TP guarantees their work. The other ebook service that is listed isn’t really a good deal–I would go with Spark if I was a paying customer here for ebook publishing.  However, only you can judge if they are right for you.

Overall:

TP offers great service and great quality for anyone who needs help along the way. Everything is easily understood and disclosed up front. The only thing that would make the experience better is if they had a means for their authors to sell their books on the TP website or have a backend ordering system in which people could purchase the author’s book from the author’s website so they could get an even higher royalty without a 3rd party retailer fee. This would be a win-win for TP and for their authors. Who knows, it may be on the drawing board right now or it could be. Of course authors could sell their copies direct via their website, but most newbie and first-timers may not have the know-how to do that or the connections, I know I didn’t.

I would recommend them to other authors to let them judge for themselves.

So rating this was a bit tricky. It wasn’t a perfect 5 and it was better than a 4…

Rating: 4.5 our of 5    Pretty Cool 🙂

The Sixth Authorship Commandment: Produce Thy Best

By Leave a Comment

 

It goes without saying that we should put our best foot forward when we go to the public with a product. We should make sure it’s the best it can be. Sure, it may be still be imperfect and not everyone will like it, but we still must do our best.

Why?

We don’t want to be known as the company who puts out crap. Least of all cheap crap which is worse than anything. If you want to a “cheap piece of crap” go buy this product from this company.

Usually people aren’t going to buy a cheap piece of crap on purpose. They want something of quality that will last. If they do it will be given to someone for a gag gift or given to the dog because he will chew it up.

This can also be said about authors and the the books we produce.

We should work hard to make it the best it can be. It should be as quality as possible. We should hire people who do quality work in editing, cover design, illustrating, etc. Don’t hire people who don’t do their job. We get fired from our day jobs if we don’t do our jobs, so should it be said of people we hire to work on our projects.

Oftentimes things happen that are unintentional that leads to inferiority, but strides to correct the problem and make it right are wonderful. Of course trying to avoid it is step one–look before you leap. Do your homework. Making it right with the public due to shortsight says something about integrity, but there is still damage done to public trust.

Still even quality products are not perfect. Not everyone likes them. Does everybody on this planet drink Coke? Nope.

Still getting close to perfection as possible is a must, but “perfection” is not so easily defined in art. There are fundamentals that must be followed, but there aren’t really any rules. It’s not as black and white as 2 hydrogens and one oxygen makes water. H2 O2 is not water, and you can’t drink it (if it’s above 3% concentration) and neither is H3O. There aren’t really any OSHA or Hazmat rules to follow when producing a book unless you infringe on another’s constitutional rights, but that isn’t the norm. Misspelled words or poor grammar outside of dialogue are not acceptable in writing. There is a definite division of visual art of a sketch drawing by a professional from doodles and 2 year old chicken scratch. Throwing pots and pans out the back door doesn’t make music.

But releasing an unedited, badly formatted (print or ebook) book with a cheesy cover will land you in the “Producer of Crap” category. You don’t want to be that author. There are some out there who have been told to edit your book, format it correctly, but still don’t do it. I shake my head in bewilderment.  Caterpillar (CAT) doesn’t produce tractors that break down after one use or can’t get the job done. We don’t buy Levi’s because they put their stitching in wrong place. These names are known for a reason–they produce quality tractors and clothing. They are also distinguishable–nothing runs like a Cat or wears like Levis. In addition to being quality, be distinguishable. Did Pepsi succeed by copying Coke? Uh-uh. They have a similar product, but they aren’t the same. Pepsi is not a cheap Coke knock-off. Don’t be that guy. Don’t be the cheap knock-off of the cheap knock-off if a knock-off does happen to make it.

Readers know when you are really trying your best and when you aren’t. You still can’t please everyone, but the rule of thumb is if you (you can be your own worst critic–I know I am) and at least 85% of other people are pleased with it then you have produced your best. Does it have flaws and can be improved? Absolutely! But there has to be a cut off at some point or else the work will never be done or enjoyed. If the critique is over something your character did or said that annoyed them or scared the pee out of the them rather than how bad the grammar and punctuation was or the formatting then you did well. If people tell you that you have a cool cover, and it doesn’t suck, then you have passed the test! If it is good both inside and out, yeehaw! That’s why we need friends who can give us the HONEST (not what we need to hear) feedback to prep for the public. The beta testers who will put it to us straight. I appreciate people like this more than the ones who blow smoke up my anus.

Don’t shovel us crap, or we will peddle crap. Be a dear and tell us where we suck so we can fix it as best as possible before we go public. Same is true if we only work with people who shovel us the BS we like. If we sow BS, then we’ll reap BS. If the reader says it looks, feels, and smells like BS then it probably is BS. We can’t call BS beef regardless if they both come from cows. There is a difference–trust me. Surely you know the difference between a cow patty and a hamburger patty, or a beef pot pie and a cow pie.

Last I checked Ms. Callenders’ doesn’t put cow crap in their foodstuffs and call it beef. We shouldn’t do that either! That’s why we go back to buy Ms. Callenders’ frozen food–because it tastes good, and we know we should be getting a good meal every time. We want to be like Ms. Callenders’ in how we produce books!

For another illustration, you won’t win a blue ribbon at the county or state fair with a sick chicken with half its feathers missing no matter how rare the breed is  or a rotten watermelon no matter how big it is. You don’t take a dog with the mange to the pedigree dog show. You won’t get a readership and you certainly won’t win a book award with an inferior book. That is basically money down the toilet that will give you the wrong kind of recognition.

Whether you work with a publisher or no publisher it still lands on you. You can choose to work with the wrong publisher, and if they are traditional, it still falls on you since you didn’t do the background check and didn’t read the contract before signing the John Hancock on it. If they won’t work with you to produce a quality book, then don’t work with them. If they won’t make a nice cover for you and all the things you know and want to make a good product, you better amscray and find someone else who will–or do it yourself and find the people who will help you. Asking around will help!

For me this was a lesson hard learned. In my case it wasn’t a traditional publisher, but that still didn’t cushion the blow. I was able to learn what crap looked like before I went to far in the journey with it. I was able to rectify the problem before many of the public saw it and before I became the least bit discovered–I was lucky. I first learned what crap looked like before quality. I fired my old publisher and found people who do good work. Now as I work to be found I am not working with crap.

Sometimes it is a learning experience, but I always knew to try to produce the best. That’s what my parents taught me. Put on your best dress before the public. Don’t meet the President in your soiled, holey overalls with a giant paint stain on the chest. Do comb your hair and all the nice things you do–don’t look like you just woke up in a mine shaft!

Do your best and forget about the rest!

Archway Publishing: Authors Beware

By 12 Comments

Simon and Schuster and Author Solutions

Archway Publishing, the new self publishing arm of Simon and Schuster has gotten quite a reaction from the indie community already. Why? This self publishing imprint was created by a partnership with the Evil Galactic Empire of Self  Publishing (Author Solutions) and run by the Empire. All S&S has on it is its name–they don’t have any other part in the whole deal. I will include some other great articles at the end for your reading pleasure ;).

It does make good sense for the Big 6–now 5–to understand self publishing since it is changing publishing as we know it, but then it makes me ask this one question: What in the heck were they thinking? They are learning about self publishing from the WORST possible source. So, in short, they still don’t get it. There are quite a few other people they could have asked how to do  self publishing the right way. In this scenario it makes as much sense as a young couple asking Charles Manson how to start a family.

Furthermore, S&S  is not going to lend any of its editorial or design expertise to this new imprint (see articles). Instead all of that is going to be handled by Author Solutions. *headdesk* I have personally dealt with Author Solutions staff in editing and design, and it is a waste  of time and money and the only payback is heartache and misery. S&S  is trusting AS to handle all of this, and to make matters worse, S&S will send rejected authors to Archway. Insert Home Alone scream here.  I view this scenario like this: People who don’t make the cheerleading team get sent to the camp coached by Ted Bundy. What are they thinking?

What does this mean for new authors? It means there is construction for a deadfall going on here for both self publishers and for authors seeking to be published traditionally. Since Author Solutions has entered into the hallowed halls where no self publishers has gone before and made itself a seat at the round table, it now has some very powerful bait to catch unsuspecting authors. They were good at this when they were on their own, but now they have silver spoon status. A robber dressed in fancy clothes is still a robber.

They have already been caught tooting the horn that they are affiliated with Penguin and using that as bait, so they will do the same here.

Note to author: You are not getting a contract with S&S. You are not going to be working with S&S editors or designers. If AS tells you that, they are lying to you. I knew that even before I read the first article and knew where this would probably head. They are very good at that (lying to authors)–I know this first hand without any big names being involved. That’s what makes this whole thing reek even worse. S&S may have their name on it but that’s it–it’s AS all the way, baby. It’s just another personality for Sybil nothing more.

So basically speaking this is like AS having S&S name on the bumper of their car. It’s still their car and it wasn’t made by the big name either. You can put a mustang body and emblem on a Honda and change nothing under the hood, and it’s still a Honda. That is basically what we have here.

Stay Away. There are more (and better!) alternatives  out there.

Here are some other related articles about Archway. Check them out. If you have written an article about it and would like to share please do, and also feel free to leave comments!

Related Articles: 

Publishers Weekly

Writer Beware

GN Braun: Simon & Schuster and Author Solutions: Not a Winning Combination?

David Gaughran: Simon & Schuster Joins Forces With Author Solutions to Rip Off Writers

Emily Suess: Sure You Don’t Want to Name It Simon and Schyster?

Rise of the Hybrid Publishers

By 6 Comments

hybrid publishers

Liger: a hybrid

The rise of self publishing, the ebook, and the indie author have brought forth challenges in the publishing industry. With indie authors came all kinds of niche experts and self publishing companies. The traditional publishers still seemed to reign supreme…for a while. Now indie books are taking them on from both very good companies or the avid DIYers.

The main ingredient of this success?

The author’s involvement in the creation of the book–well, at least the ones who take great care in all parts of the work.

So what is a hybrid publisher?

A hybrid anything is usually a splice between two species where the best traits are bred into a new type of animal. That’s the way it works in the animal kingdom. Think mules, hennys, ligers, etc. Sometimes the hybrid may express more of the traits of one of the parent animals over the other.

So, in essence, a hybrid publisher is a splice between a self publisher and a small press traditional publisher (there are no large publishers that are hybrids–yet–or if there will be).

What are the traits of a hybrid publisher?

  • Author is involved with the creation process of the work; they are not excluded. The publisher makes certain that the work is also up to industry standards
  • The publisher offers traditional distribution channels and traditional marketing strategies
  • The publisher also provides tools or services for laser targeted internet marketing strategies in addition to traditional strategies
  • Royalties range from 50+ to 100% (higher than any regular traditional small press or large publisher–self publishing levels)
  • Publishers will assess the work to double check quality before they will publish. If not up to standards they will not publish
  • Still has a submissions process of one kind or another
  • Provides ebook publishing and distribution or the author keeps the digital rights to publish the ebooks where they wish
  • The contract is usually a shorter amount of time than most traditional publishers (1-5 years)
  • After contract term and/or renewal, rights revert back to the author

Like I mentioned earlier, these hybrids may express more traits of one parent animal than the other. There are self-publishing hybrids and traditional publishing hybrids. Below are some examples. There could be more out there now or coming soon.

Example of a Self Publishing Hybrid

Mill City Press is one example of a self publishing hybrid. In addition to their POD service they have services available for traditional distribution and marketing. They also employ advice and services for targeted internet marketing and a sister company that publishes ebooks. Since this is a self publishing hybrid you must purchase the services you want. Only the author can decide if it’s worth it. They are always coming up with new and innovative ways to market books. Some services are accessible to outside authors, but quality checks are in place. As long as the book looks good, they don’t care where it comes from.

To be able to access the  traditional channels you’ll need a well edited book and any inside images you want. The cover can be designed by MCP or your own designer. The books will have to pass the assessment to have clearance. If you take special care  in editing you should be fine. If you pass they give you precise instructions on what to do next.

The prices for this comprehensive stuff will beat the prices of some self publishers–definitely Author Solutions’ companies. Since everything is up front, they take no royalties whatsoever. They have their own inhouse printing and give the author wholesale printing cost per book.

Examples of the Traditional Hybrid

Evolved Publishing Is a name that see recurring in several of my author groups. I have a couple friends who have had their books published here. They have a submissions process and open and close accordingly. They help you with marketing, and even though they behave much like a traditional small press, you can’t set on your laurels. Doing your own marketing in addition to theirs is ESSENTIAL. You will still need your platform, connections, and indie marketing activities.

They offer royalty rates ~70%. That is unheard of in traditional publishing. A hybrid? Definitely.

Some of my connections who have published and/or are involved in this publisher started out as indie authors.

Grit City Publications is a specialty hybrid publisher that specializes in “emotobooks”. I talk more about what they are in another post. The submissions and quality checks are in place. The royalty rate is ~25%, and that depends on a lot of factors, but it is more than what you’ll get at Random House.

From their site, their editors and artists will work with the author to transform their book into the “emotobook”. They do have a submissions process and determine if your story is a good fit for an emotobook.

I have heard much of this publisher from people following me on Twitter. I had to do the research to find out what “emotobooks” were exactly.

***Since you pay nothing up front and these publishers are helping you with marketing they take a royalty. It’s never a bad idea to ask questions about their marketing plans for your book in addition to your own plans!!

What Authors Need to Know

When you are with a hybrid publisher you feel so small press but yet so indie–almost like if a mule asks, “Am I a horse or a donkey?”. You have someone there to help you and when you get out there you have even more people to help you. You feel independent and can participate in indie activities like other small press authors.

Being with a hybrid publisher doesn’t make the marketing incline any easier to assail; they just provide you with more options and more channels. There is still things you need to do on your own. You’ll still need to build your platform and work with other people just like everyone else. You’re a hybrid author so you can plug into the indie community–we are a cooperative community sharing intel. Reach out!

Do you of other hybrid publishers that are out there? Love to hear your thoughts! 🙂

Does My Publisher Suck?

By 3 Comments

does my publisher suck

You are probably wondering what I mean by the title of this article. I have worked with both a good publisher and a sucky one. I hear from other authors about who is good and who is not. When I was having my bad experience with my ex publisher, Xlibris, I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what it was or could pinpoint it. I was wondering why my marketing efforts were hitting barriers and why things and people were stressing me out. I will compile the checklist quiz to give your perspective/present publisher and other diagnoses to test them through their contracts and other behaviors if you have doubts of their integrity or your publishing experience. A cast of doubt can be the mark of a bad experience. The list comes from my personal experiences and crucial points and the “Author’s Bill of Rights” created by Mark Levine. These simple points will help you determine if your publisher sucks. The grade the publisher gets for “Sucks” or “Cool” is subjective based on what the author can tolerate. I gave Xlibris this quiz after I discovered it and they score “Suck” on my grading scale.

The below checklist quiz is like the “Self Publishing Rights” we that have in self publishing. These are not the same as those in traditional publishing: copyrights and subsidiary rights because these remain with the author in self publishing (or they should). These rights do not exist in traditional publishing, so the quiz does not apply. They play by a different set of rules. Then it all comes down to what the author can tolerate and what they think is fair in that arena.

Sometimes the author may not be with a bad publisher. Sometimes they may be working with someone who is not a good fit for them. If they are not bad or sucky then it will be easy to leave and go elsewhere to a better fit to your needs or choose to go the DIY route if you have learned how to do so.

The Quiz 

The first two parts are directly quoted in Mark Levine’s words from The Fine Print of Self Publishing Edition 4.

Quiz Part I: “The Nine Qualities of a Good Self Publishing Company” The Fine Print Edition 4 page 22.

  1.  A good reputation among writers
  2. Fair publishing fees
  3. Generous royalties without any fuzzy math
  4. Low printing costs and high production value
  5. Favorable contract terms
  6. Fair policy regarding the return of your book’s original production files
  7. Fairly priced add-on services, such as marketing and copyright registration
  8. A standard offering of an ISBN, EAN bar code, and LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number) as part of any basic publishing package
  9. Availability through at least one wholesaler, and listings on major online retailers

Quiz Part II: “The Ideal Publishing Package” a subdivision of Article II that includes Articles VI-IX The Fine Print Edition 4 pages: 24-25

  1. A high-quality, custom-designed book cover (don’t use any publisher’s template—covers sell books)
  2. Professional layout of the book’s interior
  3. Registration with Ingram or Baker & Taylor and listings on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and other online retailers
  4. A page on the publisher’s website or some other online venue (other than a third-party online retailer) where you can sell your book
  5. The ability to purchase your own books for a reasonable price
  6. A contract that you can cancel at any time
  7. The return of the original production files, or at least press-ready PDFs, of your interior and cover

Quiz PartIII: “The Author Bill of Rights”. I listed them in my own words below:

  1. Publisher allows you to see the contract when asked for
  2. Publisher takes no rights to your book including movie rights, etc
  3. Explains the exact calculation of royalties without vague terms (i.e. administrative costs)
  4. Publisher does not double dip by taking a royalty and inflating the print cost
  5. Publisher does not give itself a trade discount on its own online store
  6. Publisher allows you to terminate the contract at any time with no more than 60 days written notice and without penalty
  7. Upon termination the publisher gives you your printable files at no additional cost
  8. Upon termination the publisher ceases the selling of your book except for those still in their possession

Other things to consider:

does my publisher suck

Customer Service

Humans or Robots and Zombies?

Does the staff at the publisher seem like they are inhuman or mindless in their answers and service? Can you not get competent answers to your questions? The robots seem like they are programmed to say ‘yes’ to everything. Zombies mindlessly go through the motions and are someone else’s control. Here I speak of the mindless and controlled voodoo zombie and not theHollywoodzombie that eats the living. Although…unethical publishers do get a craving for the unsuspecting authors… Dealing with a robot/zombie staff can be frustrating. Has anyone called a company and talked to an automated answering service? It is frustrating, and you wish to speak to a human. Even the easiest solution to a small problem can become frustrating with staff that behaves like this.

does my publisher suck

Hide and Seek, Tag, Keepaway, Hot Potato, or Dodgeball?

Does the staff at the publisher seem to be playing games with you over the phone? Is it hard to pin down the person you need to speak with for your question/problem? Do you have delayed responses to your queries that go on for more than 24 to 48 hours? Do you feel like you being passed from one person to the other like a hot potato and have to retell your problem or ask the question again…and again…and again until someone gets caught with you and has to address your question/problem? Does the problem or question get passed between two people and the author can’t catch a break or a solution? These games frustrate people and sometimes are done on purpose. Problems don’t get solved or the time spent is a waste. Sometimes pulling crocodile teeth can be easier than putting up with the games.

does my publisher suck

My Consultant Team Acts like Used Car Salesmen and Bill Collectors

Does your consultant team seem like they bug you all the time and harass you so that you will buy something? Do they use hard-sell and high pressure techniques rather than offer suggestions? Do they try to force you to buy something you don’t want and act like you owe the money when you don’t? I have dealt with this and this is the biggest indicator to me that my ex publisher was unscrupulous. Staff that behaves like this can drive you mad, stress you out, and make marketing your book frustrating and unbearable.

Why is Everything So Expensive? Why Does it Phase Out So Quickly?

Sucky publishers seem to but a lofty price tag on marketing services that phase out in such a short time. After this phases out, they come back and try to pressure you into buying yet another pricey service that also doesn’t last more than a day. High priced services should last for a year or more and keep on giving and not appear as blowing in the wind.

does my publisher suck

The Notorious Bull Shark

Bull Shark Attack

Bull sharks are responsible for more shark attacks than the fierce and well renowned great white. Why? Bull sharks are the only shark species that can come into fresh water and stay for a great length of time due to a unique adaptation. You don’t have to go out into the deep ocean or to the ocean at all to get attacked by a bull shark. They have been known to swim up rivers and not stay in the estuaries. They come to you, you don’t go to them like the great white. Did you enter the fresh publishing waters and the bull sharks come to you? This is an indicator of a bad publisher. Ethical publishers let you swim to them and with them like a dolphin. If you swim with sharks, you will get bitten sooner or later. I still carry the scar and I will have one for the rest of my publishing career. Xlibris acted like a bull shark in how it approached me. I was new to the sea. I mistook it for a dolphin, and I got bitten. Now I can identify the shark thanks to an experienced diver.

does my publisher suck

My Publisher’s Mark of Excellence with Booksellers?

I Get Backlash Every Time I Mention My Publisher’s Name

When you deal with bookstores, reviewers, and the like, they may ask you who your publisher is. Bookstores will definitely ask you. When I was published with Xlibris and several times I was nigh to having me a book signing and it fell through just as soon as I told the person who my publisher was. Then it was like my book and I had skunk spray on us, and it didn’t matter that it was returnable. It wasn’t my fault, but bookstores know who the sharks are. That was the second notion I had received that there is something up with my publisher, and this is before I had the privilege of finding out about and meeting Mark Levine. This is a very good indicator that your publisher sucks.

The Print Costs Aren’t the Only Things Inflated Around Here

This one has been hit in several different angles in the article. When you shop around at outside sources, other publishers, etc, and they offer the same or better service for ½ or less the cost that your publisher charges should make you wake up. This was both an eye opener and a wake up call for me after I had been in the water a little while.

Conclusion 

If you give your publisher this quiz on its contracts, websites, materials and etc, and they violate many of these and you can’t live with it, then you can say “My publisher sucks.” Then you are going to ask, “Well, my publisher sucks. Now what?” That will be answered next week.

Self Pub Companies Outsourcing Editing?!

By 2 Comments

Tate Publishing outsourcing editing

The idea for this post comes from this post from The Publishing Revolution Book Editing with a Side of Coconut Oil which let me know of another self publishing company outsourcing book editing along with a number of other things to the Philippines with a number of nasty other things going  on. To find out what else happened at Tate Publishing read that post. The purpose of my post is to share this news about editing outsourcing and what it means to you (new authors).

It’s no secret that Author Solutions’ companies (as many of them that there are) have been outsourcing most of their staff to the Philippines for book production and editing. However, I think that all Author Solutions’ companies (including Xlibris) have been outsourcing a lot longer than what they tell us. I have a couple suspicions:

  1. They are dishonest about everything and that wouldn’t surprise me.
  2. Part of my trouble at Xlibris that wasn’t shared in “My Horrible Xlibris Xperience” was in regards to how bad the editing was. I only shared it in brief detail. I believe my book was edited in the Philippines back in 2009 before they mentioned outsourcing in early 2010.

There is nothing wrong with outsourcing, but when it comes to the book industry and to book editing, the publishing industry is a quirky one. The people doing the work in a foreign country aren’t going to know the subtle differences and intricacies of [insert country name here]’s book market according to the above post written by  publishing expert Mark Levine. For example, the book industry wouldn’t exactly be the same in the US as it is in the UK or Australia. In this sense, I don’t think it would be a wise idea for a UK publisher to outsource book production and editing to the US or vice versa unless (keyword unless) the UK publisher gave specific, up-to-date publishing standards to the US production team. Editing, on the other hand, should be handled by a UK editor. Period. Even though the UK and the US both speak English, there are differences in slang and other differences. Now, sending a book to be edited in the Philippines by both the US and UK publisher would a complete disaster; it makes no sense. Someone from the Philippines would not know the difference between US and UK English and all the other things in between. BTW, this is the way it is with all languages not just English. I may have taken some Spanish courses in high school and college, but that doesn’t make me qualified to edit a book written by a Latin American or Spanish author!

Now, how have I come to the conclusion that my book was edited by someone in the Philippines when I published with Xlibris? Well, for one, I couldn’t pronounce and can’t remember my “editor’s” name. Until I worked with real editors and grew as a writer, I didn’t see how bad my “editing” was. Also when my book was being edited, some normal, day to day, figures of speech were changed to something off the wall that I had to change back, other things were  really screwy too. I fixed those mistakes, but there were ten others (per page) I didn’t see … So, in other words, if your book is being edited by someone in the Philippines or any other foreign country by non-native [insert language here] speakers, expect a subpar edit (unless they are editing their own native books).

OK, we know AS has outsourced their editors, so who else is doing it? Tate Publishing has jumped on the bandwagon for one, and who is to know others are doing it and not disclosing it? Not everyone has been busted, and there are still self publishers popping up everywhere. Could this be another biggie to weigh in on aside from author friendliness (for those who wish to work with a self publisher rather than do it themselves)?Possibly.

If you don’t  plan hiring your own editor and plan to use a self publisher’s editors, by all means ask questions! If they are a decent publisher, they will answer your questions. Ask for your possible editor’s credentials and experience if they aren’t posted somewhere. You have every right to know who you are giving your baby to–you would want to know about a doctor’s credentials before you took your child there, right?. As I said in earlier posts, editing is life or death for you and your book. It is too costly to your wallet and to your career to not be done right the first time. Then all marketing will be a waste.

Things like this make it more imperative to network or do background checks on self publishing companies. Outstanding publishers will have good word of mouth, so you should be OK, but when in doubt it is okay to hire your own editor who you know and trust!

Book Formatting Can Kill You

By Leave a Comment

book formatting

Book formatting is another area that can make or break your author career and is another area where readers and reviewers have complaints about indie books. Proper formatting matters in both print and ebook editions just as much as editing does.

Just like editing, formatting makes an author’s book look good, professional, and easier to read. It’s another thing you must get right the first time or suffer the consequences. Producing a faulty product puts your reputation at stake. This is another area  not to skimp on your budget if you can’t do it yourself. As indies authors, we are responsible for the book’s quality because we have total control.

Just like the adage says, “With great power comes great responsibility” is very true here.

Being a newbie and “I just didn’t know” doesn’t cut it. It is up to us to learn how and find people to help/mentor us if we plan on doing it ourselves or to find good people to do it for us. If we hire someone, it is our responsibility to make sure they do a good job. If they don’t, we have to fire them and hire someone else. If you have someone do it for you, determine what you will pay and how far you will go for a good product. ALWAYS double check their work. Don’t take their word for it and don’t be lazy–put yourself in a reader’s shoes. Pretend this isn’t your book. If you picked up this book, would you read it in its present state? There is much at stake here!

Here again the ideal is perfection. We must be just as good or better than traditional publishers. We are not only trying to impress  our readers, but reviewers and retailers as well.  Quality matters, and these people can spot an inferior product a mile away.

I have heard tales and seen the reviews of authors whose work suffered because of improper formatting. Words appear in wrong places,  overlapping words, strange paragraphs, etc, etc. Most formatting complaints happen in ebook formatting, but it can happen in print if you try to do it yourself  incorrectly or hire someone who isn’t reputable (which falls on you).

The Kinds of Formatting

Ebook formatting comes in two different forms: HTML and meatgrinding. Print has its own formatting kind.

Meatgrinding takes a word document that has been prepped according to a style guide or platform and transformed into one or more ebook formats. Most of the time if meatgrinding is done yourself, it is free since it uses and automated system. You can hire formatters for a very low cost. However, this doesn’t mean this method is perfect. It’s the most popular. For the most part, the software is user friendly, but it does have its shortcomings. This is good for basic, mostly-text books. Elaborate books with a lot of illustrations, tables, pictures, and fancy stuff like that do not work out so well with this method. However, even your normal,  everyday text book can run into trouble if it is not prepped correctly. It is the author’s responsibility to check, double check, or triple check the book for formatting errors before they hit publish.

***Note: Not all meatgrinders are created equal. For example, you cannot take your Smashwords MOBI (Kindle) file and upload it to Amazon if you plan on doing it yourself. It requires some tweaking and adjustments for it to be properly formatted. Why it’s this way, I don’t know–I wonder the same thing. I have heard stories of new authors doing just that and their ebooks go horribly awry.

Then we have HTML formatting. HTML is a coding language for websites and blogs that  allows more flexibility. Formatting in this manner requires looking at long bits of code rather than the text, invisible characters, and word processing functions of meatgriding prep. Formatting in this way allows the author to format more complex books  into ebook form, and there are less likely to be formatting errors and they make better ebooks. Unless you know how to use this coding language, it is best to hire someone to do it for you whether it is a formatter or an ebook publisher/distributor.

Typesetting is for print books. Ebook and print formatting are not the same. They are two totally different animals altogether. In print books you can do more complicated things than in ebooks (at this present time), but who knows how it will change as technology changes. You also  must format the book to account for the space needed for the pages to attach to the spine. There are a lot of nit-picky things that can go wrong. They are nit-picky, but they are industry standards regardless. There are a lot of things to take into account. If you plan on doing your print books yourself, Createspace is the way to go and you can get a sample book to check out before you offer it for sale. It is THE most user friendly and easy to use software for rookie DIYers.

If you don’t plan on hiring a professional to do your formatting for you, do your homework. You can’t afford to flunk out. Read and reread the style guides and platform instructions thoroughly. Work with others to learn the ropes. Check and recheck your formatting from beginning to end to eliminate errors. This may be tedious, but you don’t want a reader to tell you that your book was tedious to read because of formatting errors in a review and your book suffer for it. All of your marketing time, money, and effort is then a waste. In the end, that would totally suck.