Writing Tip of the Week
Writing Tip of the Week
Smiling Sharks
I recently ghosted a book for a businessman who needed his book in public as quickly as possible. I recommended, and he agreed, that Indie publishing was the best, fastest and most economical track. The book was written, passed by a first reader, edited and a ready-to-go manuscript was handed over to my client. At this point in production I’m out of the picture. I did recommend some very talented and remarkably affordable creatives to format the book and do the design work on a cover. His work was ready to go. It didn’t. Instead of being available in 80 or more countries in the world in ebook, paperback and hard cover, his manuscript became stalled in limbo. Worse still, he is out several thousands of dollars – more, actually than he paid for the ghostwriting!
What happened?
Somebody saw him coming.
He wanted reassuring words and unrealistic promises. And that’s what he got. I warned him about the literary sharks in publishing who feed of frightened authors. The company representative made all kinds of promises. They would assign an editor to the book, would launch as a best seller on Amazon, they’d create a website, promote the hell out of the work in major media, plus a list of other services.
I heard recently from a mutual acquaintance that my author is very dissatisfied with this organization; they haven’t delivered on their promises. Why should they? They have the man’s money in their bank. They can take their time and if fulfilling the agreement fails, the author has little or no option except to take his lumps and hope for the best.
The company was a hybrid publisher. It’s something of a middle ground between traditional publishing and Indie publishing. I have used all three, so I have experience in all arenas. I publish traditional and hybrid, but only in extremely rare situations and for very specific reasons. Nine out of ten books I publish are Indie. There are reputable and honest traditional and hybrid publishers who do honor their commitments to their authors, but there are also those sharks.
For example, another client bought a package from a hybrid publisher. Among other things, they promised to copyright the book, set up an author’s page on Amazon and Facebook, get the book on Amazon and other distributors, format the book, design the front and back cover and the spine, and help with publicity. For this work the company charged between $6000 and $10,000 depending on the list of duties in the contract. Of course, the price tag increased with the addition of other items from the menu.
That’s fine. With the reputable firms “ya’ gets what ya’ pays for.” The problem I have is that the poor author pays a lot of money for services he can handle himself for little money (compared to those large fees) or for no money at all. Here are a couple of “for examples.”
I saw one firm charging $250 for “copyrighting” an author’s work. What the poor sap of an author who signed this agreement didn’t realize that once his work was in physical for – the manuscript – it was copyrighted and has the full protection of U.S. copyright law. The firm’s term “copyright” actually meant “copyright registration.” There’s no need to pay someone $250 or more to register a copyright. The form can be downloaded from the internet. It’s a simple one-page document to fill out and the fee is modest. Currently it’s just $45.
Setting up an author’s page on Amazon and Facebook can be done quickly and easily if you know one of those 10-year-old computer whizzes down the street. You can hire someone for very reasonable sums if you shop around. You can even do it yourself using easy-to-use templates provided by the service provider.
Getting the book on Amazon and other distributors is at no cost to the author. The distributors earn their money from a percentage of sales. For the author, the process is extremely simple; just upload manuscript and cover files and whammo, you’re published.
Formatting and cover design fees are all over the board. If – BIG IF – if you have a good sense of design, you can do your own covers using templates. Go back and read that BIG IF sentence; a good cover design is essential. Formatting using the distributors’ format templates is simple and doesn’t require a super sense of design, just common sense. I’ve received estimates from various freelances ranging up to several thousand dollars, but there are very talented designers who will work and do an excellent job for a fraction of that amount. Shop around.
Recommended by LinkedIn
When it comes to publicity, regardless of what you hear, unless you’re Stephen King or one of the top tier authors, you’ll be doing your own PR. Those are basic skills, such as writing a news release, that any author can pick up in no time. Other chores, such as media contacts, are basically secretarial-type duties. If you don’t have a secretary, like most of us, it’s basically develop a list, write and e-mail news release, follow up with phone call, and hope for the journalistic lightning to strike. It will and sometimes in surprising ways.
I explained all of the above and more to my ghostwriting client. But, the advice I give my authors is factual, realistic and I never promise what I know no one can deliver. My author clearly wanted to hear a tall tale and one of the sharks filled that need.
And now my former client is feeling the bite.
#
Quote of the Week: “Oh, the shark has such teeth, dear And it shows them pearly white. Just a jackknife has old MacHeath, babe And he keeps it out of sight.” Bertolt Brecht
Recommended Reading: Dealbreakers – Contract Terms Writers Should Avoid by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Plan Ahead: Desert Foothills Book Festival – October 19, 2024
Shameless Self-Promotion:
YouTube Appearances: Coast-To-Coast AM With George Noory; Monster’s Lounge; Sasquatch Paranormal Podcast; Afraid of Nothing; Patricia Monna Talks with Pendulum Dowser Dan Baldwin; Journey Through the Gate: Old West Spirits with Dan Baldwin; Journey Through the Gate: Dan Baldwin Author/Psychic in the Superstition Mountains; House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC: Dan Baldwin Psychic Detective; House of Mystery Radio Show on NBC: The Psychic Detective Guidebook; Horsefly Chronicles with Julia & Phillip Siracusa: Dan Baldwin & George Sewell; Watchers Talk: Is It Possible to Communicate with the Departed?; X2RS: Speaking with Spirits of the Old West; Andy de Codes: Dan Baldwin; Vincent Zandri from The Writer’s Life Episode 851: Dan Baldwin; Rob McConnell Show: Dan Baldwin – The Psychic Detective Guidebook; Dangerous Thoughts; Generation X Paranormal, Generation X Paranormal; Typical Skeptic;
Contact me at baldco@msn.com
This blog may be shared free provided there is no charge to the audience and the author is credited.
The author is a live human being. I do not include content generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence) software of any kind.