tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post4557164402287579543..comments2024-03-25T17:56:01.825-04:00Comments on Insecure Writer's Support Group: Three Publishers Weigh in on Queries, Marketing, and the Publishing ModelAlex J. Cavanaughhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-43146206216279222992018-08-21T14:32:29.275-04:002018-08-21T14:32:29.275-04:00I'm curious, If Wido is a traditional style pu...I'm curious, If Wido is a traditional style publisher and they are not paying up front or asking the writer to pay, they should be just as invested in making sure the author's book is promoted.<br />I understand the process, but when the publisher asks me what is MY marketing plan? I wonder what is their marketing plan for my book? I didn't see any real plan listed on their websites. I had an experience with this type of publisher. In the two years of our contract, I did 85% of the promotion. In the last 7 months I did 95$ of the promotion and got no $. I know people were buying but I wasn't getting anything. Now if I'm doing all the work, why pay them a commission? I got out of the contract. They did tell me my book out performed all the other books of indi publishers they met with. Now I'm looking to republish that one and the new one. Where should I go? TWBookmisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17275171996218109275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-2345540705628883222017-05-02T18:32:03.144-04:002017-05-02T18:32:03.144-04:00Lux, and I get that one 1-3 times a month.
Deniz,...Lux, and I get that one 1-3 times a month.<br /><br />Deniz, please do.<br /><br />Erika, everyone makes mistakes and I like to give them the benefit of the doubt. Plus help them get it right with the next publisher.<br /><br />Michelle, I really wanted to be able to offer that to authors.L. Diane Wolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06425864276166334896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-25841926824147054052017-05-01T03:26:28.689-04:002017-05-01T03:26:28.689-04:00A great post. Really informative. It cleared up on...A great post. Really informative. It cleared up one or two things that have been a bit murky for me...<br />The benefits of traditional publishing with the freedom of self-publishing sounds like a great option. Michelle Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02750092836481599870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-51827428029303558192017-04-26T18:19:59.959-04:002017-04-26T18:19:59.959-04:00Thanks for all the great information. It was a ple...Thanks for all the great information. It was a pleasure to read.Pat Tilletthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17699973774273291205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-25498602441702048282017-04-24T05:55:18.261-04:002017-04-24T05:55:18.261-04:00Great information! I like that you reach out to th...Great information! I like that you reach out to the incorrect submissions and give them a chance to correct themselves, but I can't believe, many times they don't. :(Erika Beebehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12899619461035583262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-80688967410969014582017-04-20T22:14:59.006-04:002017-04-20T22:14:59.006-04:00A wealth of information for serious writers!
Persp...A wealth of information for serious writers!<br />Perspectives at <a href="http://lifefaithincaneyhead.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Life & Faith in Caneyhead</a>Barbara In Caneyheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06053601327400989802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-45292804393765990722017-04-20T04:34:18.509-04:002017-04-20T04:34:18.509-04:00Great feature! I'm actually hoping to submit s...Great feature! I'm actually hoping to submit something to Dancing Lemur Press soon...Deniz Bevanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17134553551048836979noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-17595864173149077202017-04-19T22:15:04.263-04:002017-04-19T22:15:04.263-04:00“I want you to publish my book” is so cringe worth...“I want you to publish my book” is so cringe worthy. <br />Great tips here. It's really important to read and follow the guidelines before submitting.Lux G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00557863683608790087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-15909190262386484752017-04-18T15:14:24.973-04:002017-04-18T15:14:24.973-04:00Tyrean, That was an honest mistake and nothing to ...Tyrean, That was an honest mistake and nothing to be too embarrassed about. I think most editors would simply request clarification. Karen Jones Gowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11378428503220197256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-48165425632984326382017-04-18T13:42:16.761-04:002017-04-18T13:42:16.761-04:00Thanks for the great post! It's definitely im...Thanks for the great post! It's definitely important to read those guidelines. Every time I submit, I read through them at least 2 or 3 times to make sure I don't miss anything important.<br /><br />Writing query letters scares me a little. I'm currently working on a novel, which means if all goes well, I'll be dipping my toe into those frightening waters soon. I'm sure I'll be reading all the tips I can beforehand.L.G. Keltnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07624902347418621283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-8174085214432758342017-04-18T13:25:26.587-04:002017-04-18T13:25:26.587-04:00Good options in such a confusing market/publishing...Good options in such a confusing market/publishing world. The comparisons were nice to read.Dean K Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02585231102949370872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-69238707816234603412017-04-18T07:32:05.573-04:002017-04-18T07:32:05.573-04:00Tyrean, I could forgive that. It's the ones wh...Tyrean, I could forgive that. It's the ones who send a lame, one paragraph query with nothing I asked for that drives me nuts.<br /><br />Fundy Blue, it does produce some bad books sometimes.L. Diane Wolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06425864276166334896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-57856351303570973752017-04-18T00:05:41.967-04:002017-04-18T00:05:41.967-04:00Thank you Jessica, Diane, and Karen. This post wa...Thank you Jessica, Diane, and Karen. This post was full of helpful information. Some of the examples you shared were jaw dropping. It's hard to imagine that people submit poor query letters, don't follow submission guidelines, and don't put their hearts into promoting their books ~ but then I know I'm being naive. I followed my sister's journey as a writer who has published two books, one with an established well-known publisher and the other with a small publisher in Nova Scotia. I even helped her market her books by giving workshops with her at several literacy conferences. Marketing is really tough! Writing is the easy part. I can see that self-publishing is a two edged sword. It empowers good writers who might otherwise not have a chance to get published, but it empowers people who aren't good writers too. When it's time to submit my book for publication, I hope I have the good fortune to connect with a great publishing company! Fundy Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02132147630106183853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-7564423518019008592017-04-17T21:30:01.592-04:002017-04-17T21:30:01.592-04:00This was full of so much great information.I enjoy...This was full of so much great information.I enjoyed hearing the different perspectives, and I got a lot out of the comment section as well.<br /><br />I'll have to bookmark this particular post so I can find it easily for new authors to look at.Lynda Dietzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15442214431341019380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-69252835821152657172017-04-17T17:57:23.073-04:002017-04-17T17:57:23.073-04:00Thanks for this post. Great to read about the 3 pu...Thanks for this post. Great to read about the 3 publishing companies but many aspects are the same as you'd expect. Karen, love the story of the Jewish memoir. Denise Covey https://www.blogger.com/profile/07106490051555233439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-79838578210316082932017-04-17T17:02:08.247-04:002017-04-17T17:02:08.247-04:00Thanks for the great tips!
I'm shocked to rea...Thanks for the great tips! <br />I'm shocked to read that so many writers ignore guidelines, but then I remember the one of the first short stories I sent out and how I accidentally attached the wrong draft to the query letter so I know what it feels like to make a basic mistake and then go slinking off into a corner afterwards. Tyrean Martinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356604721537744361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-23277276980787544612017-04-17T16:27:18.441-04:002017-04-17T16:27:18.441-04:00This was a very clearly set out comparison of publ...This was a very clearly set out comparison of publishers, and very thorough. Small presses are a boon to the publishing industry, and I can't see that they require much more of an author re: marketing than the big guys do. Authors just have to wear the marketing hat these days.<br /><br />Great post.cleemckenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15456109243453726483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-18831075448256930702017-04-17T15:42:33.517-04:002017-04-17T15:42:33.517-04:00What a great story, Karen! We've had a few lik...What a great story, Karen! We've had a few like that as well. We're definitely willing to work with authors if we like the story and feel they have talent but just need that extra edit.Jessica Therrienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08075397024734371669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-79725670759385280712017-04-17T13:19:01.084-04:002017-04-17T13:19:01.084-04:00Pat Hiatt, That is a really great question, and it...Pat Hiatt, That is a really great question, and it does happen more than one might think. We had a recent example at WiDo, with a memoir about a young Jewish student who heads off to the Middle East and Arab country with stars in his eyes about how he would build bridges between Jews and Arabs. The story was interesting but his writing was all over the place and hard to follow. And considering that WiDo had quite a few new books lining up for 2017, the decision was made to let this one go.<br /><br />Our submissions editor sent him the usual rejection letter, although complimenting him on the title of his memoir. This young man wrote back a very courteous and professional email, thanking Allie for her response and asking, although he knew how busy she was, if she would mind giving him a few tips on how to correct the problems. Since submissions editors really are human, and also humans who value writers and their stories, Allie sent him a brief summary of what the major problems were with his manuscript. <br /><br />He wrote back thanking her and asking for a second chance. She agreed to look at it again if he wanted to revise and resubmit. He did, and the memoir I Am Not a Spy by Michael Bassin will be published by WiDo this fall.Karen Jones Gowenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11378428503220197256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-53591362303228063922017-04-17T12:59:32.224-04:002017-04-17T12:59:32.224-04:00I'm always excited to hear about small presses...I'm always excited to hear about small presses. I think the personal touch of the people running them help author develop in way that larger presses or self-publishing doesn't always do. Even with the big presses, the author is required to do most of the promotion so any author should be prepared for that before they even submit.Susan Gourley/Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02669793865290876168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-29347256704934529252017-04-17T12:07:04.649-04:002017-04-17T12:07:04.649-04:00Pat, when someone doesn't sent everything, I t...Pat, when someone doesn't sent everything, I tell them what was missing and add a link to our submission guidelines. Most don't reply back, but a few do send the correct info.L. Diane Wolfehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06425864276166334896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-35615721861175388912017-04-17T11:47:02.136-04:002017-04-17T11:47:02.136-04:00Writing is one thing. Getting published is another...Writing is one thing. Getting published is another. There is a lot of work to getting a book out. I never realized how much work.<br /><br />Have a fabulous day. ☺Sandeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06785788498697004273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-12110450389737391952017-04-17T11:45:28.790-04:002017-04-17T11:45:28.790-04:00Thanks so much for including us at Acorn Publishin...Thanks so much for including us at Acorn Publishing!Jessica Therrienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08075397024734371669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-89391464899822816992017-04-17T11:03:46.952-04:002017-04-17T11:03:46.952-04:00Very informative. Thank you.
'Juneta @ Write...Very informative. Thank you. <br />'<a href="http://www.junetakey.com/posts/category/blog-life-happens/" rel="nofollow">Juneta @ Writer's Gambit </a><br />Juneta keyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08815758043024184034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3136420115688099157.post-12248576502103621542017-04-17T08:47:55.268-04:002017-04-17T08:47:55.268-04:00Thanks for sharing this, Alex. Jessica, Diane, and...Thanks for sharing this, Alex. Jessica, Diane, and Karen - appreciate your insight. It's great to know that there are good publishers out there!Karen Langehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18177923284595298347noreply@blogger.com