Today we continue the publishing mini-series that takes you “Down the Publishing Rabbit Hole” and examines some publishers authors should avoid. The first post, “To Catch a Charlatan,” took a look at publishing scammers, and last week we looked at Small Publishers an Author May Want to Avoid. This week, we’ll finish up with a list of questions an authors should ask when considering signing a small press publishing contract. To reiterate a point I’ve made before: I’m a fan of small presses, and hybrid presses, as well as large-press publishing. The keys are making sure to sign with the
Read moreMonth: March 2014
Post-Release, Book-Baby Blues
The traditionally-published writer’s journey starts in a whirl of excitement that often feels like Alice stepping through the looking glass into Wonderland. First, an agent offers representation, and the author wonders if the world will ever be the same. Then, a publisher makes an offer, and the beloved manuscript sets off on its journey to become a “real, live book.” The excitement waxes and wanes as release day approaches, and the release itself often passes in a whirl of blog appearances, signings, and good wishes from family and friends. But then, a few days (or, in some cases, weeks) later, the
Read morePlan Ahead to Hire an Editor, Proofreader, & Cover Designer
Please help me welcome author and editor Tammy Salyer, for another guest post in her ongoing series with advice for self-published and independent authors: Treat your writing like a passion, but treat your novel like a business. Week Five: (In which I will emphasize how CRUCIAL this step is) Plan ahead to hire an editor, proofreader, and cover designer. Sometimes, most of the time even, new authors are consumed by and utterly immersed in their first few writing projects, often to the point of having absolutely no brain cells left over for any other creative or “businessy” endeavors. I’ve been there;
Read moreDown the Publishing Rabbit Hole — To Catch a Little Fish (part 1)
Last Monday, I started this two-part “down the rabbit hole” series with a discussion of Catching a Charlatan–essentially a set of tips to help prevent authors from signing contracts with publishing scammers. Today we look at the other side of that “down the rabbit hole” situation … the side that leads to well-meaning but inexperienced houses, the “startup” publishers who don’t set out to take advantage of authors, but whose inexperience and lack of planning often leads to an unsatisfactory publishing experience (often for both the author and the publisher). PLEASE NOTE: This post is NOT about all small presses–only
Read moreGame Delayed … On Account of Bugs
Last week, I led off a short publishing series called Down the Publishing Rabbit Hole. Last week’s post, To Catch A Charlatan, dealt with the issue of publishing scammers and how to spot them. This week’s post, To Catch a Little Fish, will post tomorrow (Tuesday) instead of today, because I’m down with the flu and didn’t get the chance to draft the post over the weekend. Apologies for the momentary delay of game. Blame the bugs. As for the way I’m feeling, I think Emperor Maximus Angryfish captures it best:
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