Comments on: “And what is your promotion plan?”

By: lynnpricewrites

lynnpricewrites — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:51:39 +0000

Welcome, FireKat. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll see that I make the distinction between vanity and self-publishing all the time. It’s a real sticking point with me. I’ve been all too happy to relate how the truly self-published author has all kinds of possibilities PROVIDED they understand all aspects of the business. Self publishers do not accidentally become successful.

As for my editor buddy, yes, I gave her a ration of crap for her attitude.

As for your being shelved in Waterstones, congrats to you! Things work quite differently in the UK compared to the US. A US self-published author (not vanity) needs some sort of distribution partner. Otherwise their only outlet is to submit their book to the Small Press Dept. of the corporate bookstores and hope they decide to buy some units for their stores. Their other option is to convince bookstore managers of individual stores to carry their book – and it must meet all the same criteria that publishers do.

It’s much harder here.

By: FireKat

FireKat — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:30:49 +0000

I think you need to verify that vanity publishing is not self-publishing.Your editor should have been pleasantly surprised to be asked such a question.It shows the author meant business.
The reaction shows a certain ‘ivory tower’ mentality in that which should, after all, be a professional partnership.
As for the author/publisher demarcation – what if the author is the publisher – time to develop a split personality?

Also – “It’s the rare author who has the same marketing reach of a mainstream publisher because they’ll never be in the bookstores”
Well I don’t – but I am – Waterstones etc.(& Borders -’till they ‘fell over’) UK. It’s also a first book.

The key I think is a professional business-like attitude. The other,one of your presidents summed up nicely “A dollop of honey goes further than a gallon of gall”. Though both have their place it’s knowing when to use which that’s the hard part.

Oh yes, & some of that overworked adjective – “Passion”.

By: Jan

Jan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 13:24:51 +0000

As a jaded editor and (mainstream) published ghost-writer, I’m following this blog from the UK, and howling with recognition/sympathy/delight. I’ve been saying all this to authors and members of the Association of Christian Writers over here – but you say it all so much better. And I want a beagle, too…

By: Pelotard

Pelotard — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:52:33 +0000

The fly might prefer honey, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease – or replaced. It all depends on how dependent on that particular wheel the driver is.

By: lynnpricewrites

lynnpricewrites — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:37:30 +0000

The fly might prefer honey, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

It depends on how greasy you are and the manner in which you squeak.

By: Kristine Princevalle

Kristine Princevalle — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:59:27 +0000

Nile, I think a lot of people believe that old axim applies, and they believe it’s necessary to employ out of the ordinary tactics to get attention. Our editors have several ways of determining if an author is someone they want to work with, besides the quality of their work, of course. And the squeaky wheel, or the noisy author, isn’t high on the priority list. But the pleasant, professional person with a thorough promotional plan (sorry, I just couldn’t resist the train of p’s)is top on the list.

By: Nile

Nile — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 20:12:41 +0000

The fly might prefer honey, but the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

By: catwoods

catwoods — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:36:44 +0000

Thanks for the continued blogging on promotion and publishing options. This has been a sought after topic on AQ.

[LP: Thanks, Catwoods, appreciate your reading!]

By: lynnpricewrites

lynnpricewrites — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:40:16 +0000

It’s a good question, Kristine. And when I get the answer, I swear to put it in a blog post.

By: Kristine Princevalle

Kristine Princevalle — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:37:36 +0000

“I declined to deliver the goods he requested because I concluded he’d probably be happier with an editor who, while investing thousands into his title, wouldn’t mind being ordered around by her author. That, and he was a putz. Respect is a two-way street and it’s unwise to assume a confrontational stance if you’re looking for information.”

Why don’t authors and/or people in general understand that old saying “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar”? It’s such a simple concept, really. Be nice, and you will get farther in life than if you are rude and annoying. Especially if you’re an author trying to get published. An obnoxious author could submit the best ms. in the world, but if they come across as someone I don’t care to know, let alone work closely with for the next 12 months, then forget it.