A WRITER'S WIT
The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown fate.
O. Henry
Born September 11, 1862
False Promises
[I always try, at the end of each post, to tell which topic will be next. Last time I indicated that it would be MY BOOK WORLD. Sorry, I've gotten so caught up in the reading of my book's proof that I let my schedule get away from me. Forgive me. I'll probably make that post next week.] RJ
Selecting the Right Company for You
When I began my work of self publishing, I did a Google search, and one of the better sources I located was Writer’s Digest. I began to read down their list of sixty-five recommended companies. The WD list is quite effective because under each company WD delineates the type of printing that the company does: Print-on-demand, e-book, offset, etc. By studying each one, you may in advance develop a good idea of which companies you might most like to contact.
I hoped to receive information from two of the companies I was interested in, so at their websites I filled in online forms, thinking that I would get something by e-mail. No. The very next day I took calls from sales representatives from both companies—both of them under the umbrella of some pretty big corporate names. I won't reveal which ones because I don’t want to be accused of sabotaging their work. But I will say that everything sounded great. Yes, both self-publishing companies wanted more money than Amazon’s CreateSpace, and more than most of any of the other companies on the list. So I conducted a forty-five minute phone interview with each of them, and a week later they called me back to try and rope me in. When I told one of the representatives that I'd decided to go a different direction, he stopped calling, but the other rep has continued to haunt me with at least one call a week. Annoying.
During each second conference the reps answered my questions. One of their claims was that if the parent company liked my work my book might get picked up. Hm. I asked, “How many of your self-published authors actually get picked up by your parent company?” That’s a good question, one of the reps said and went on to tell me that they actually hadn’t been in business long enough to make that determination. Aha. After we hung up, I then did a Google search for writers' reviews of both of these “new” companies lounging under elite corporate umbrellas. There were no good ones! I read nothing but complaints for both of them, things like royalty structure not turning out to be as good as represented by the company. On the other hand, writers who reviewed Amazon's CreateSpace had plenty of accolades. Not only that but I spoke with two people who've already produced a book with CS, and both parties were positive.
That alone helped me make up my mind to use CreateSpace. It has been in the self-publishing business the longest, and its people seem to have the details worked out. When they offer you a service, you can count on it being worth the money. In addition to these larger companies WD’s list includes a number of smaller companies that offer self-publishing at bargain prices. It’s up to you to research the ones you are interested in and make the initial contact. Prepare a set of questions in advance so that when you speak to a sales rep, you’ll be set. And who knows? Maybe you will decide to go with one of the bigs! Best of luck.
NEXT TIME: MY BOOK WORLD
NEXT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: DIY PUBLISHING 101-C
NEXT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: NEW YORKER FICTION 2014
I hoped to receive information from two of the companies I was interested in, so at their websites I filled in online forms, thinking that I would get something by e-mail. No. The very next day I took calls from sales representatives from both companies—both of them under the umbrella of some pretty big corporate names. I won't reveal which ones because I don’t want to be accused of sabotaging their work. But I will say that everything sounded great. Yes, both self-publishing companies wanted more money than Amazon’s CreateSpace, and more than most of any of the other companies on the list. So I conducted a forty-five minute phone interview with each of them, and a week later they called me back to try and rope me in. When I told one of the representatives that I'd decided to go a different direction, he stopped calling, but the other rep has continued to haunt me with at least one call a week. Annoying.
During each second conference the reps answered my questions. One of their claims was that if the parent company liked my work my book might get picked up. Hm. I asked, “How many of your self-published authors actually get picked up by your parent company?” That’s a good question, one of the reps said and went on to tell me that they actually hadn’t been in business long enough to make that determination. Aha. After we hung up, I then did a Google search for writers' reviews of both of these “new” companies lounging under elite corporate umbrellas. There were no good ones! I read nothing but complaints for both of them, things like royalty structure not turning out to be as good as represented by the company. On the other hand, writers who reviewed Amazon's CreateSpace had plenty of accolades. Not only that but I spoke with two people who've already produced a book with CS, and both parties were positive.
That alone helped me make up my mind to use CreateSpace. It has been in the self-publishing business the longest, and its people seem to have the details worked out. When they offer you a service, you can count on it being worth the money. In addition to these larger companies WD’s list includes a number of smaller companies that offer self-publishing at bargain prices. It’s up to you to research the ones you are interested in and make the initial contact. Prepare a set of questions in advance so that when you speak to a sales rep, you’ll be set. And who knows? Maybe you will decide to go with one of the bigs! Best of luck.
NEXT TIME: MY BOOK WORLD
NEXT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18: DIY PUBLISHING 101-C
NEXT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: NEW YORKER FICTION 2014
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