Traditional Vs. Non Traditional Publishing…. Continuing The Process: Publishing Reps and Reviews

As I said in my last Blog, the proofreading was done and we were ready. Almost….

I called my Publishing Rep, to ask a one of my always ongoing questions: This man was patient, seemingly well informed, and the ideal listener. When I called, I received a message saying that he was unavailable. I tried later that day, the next day, and the day following that. When I received no callbacks, I took another path. I called BookSurge and explained that I need to speak to my Publishing Rep, and was informed that he was “no longer with the company”. Then I was transferred to my new rep.

Meeting your new Rep, (read editor) can be a daunting experience – especially after spending six or seven weeks working closely with one person. And I was pissed as well. Didn’t the publisher think enough of me, as a writer/client, to inform me of what was happening? Apparently not, I’d decided.

After several phone sessions with my new rep, John Rizzo, I began to feel more confident. John seemed well informed, highly professional and willing to do whatever it took to keep the process rolling and get Angels In Mourning published. But…

My previous rep, the nice soul he was, had made me certain promises about book length, costs, etc. John was somewhat surprised by this, as there were no notes about anything in the old rep’s files. One of the reasons I had decided to go with BookSurge, was the final cost of the book to the end purchaser.

Non Traditional, Print-On-Demand publishing is more expensive to the reader. Where an average paperback might sell for $6.95 to $8.95, POD books sell from $12.95-$25.00. To my mind, the higher prices meant less sales, which translated to my head as FEWER READERS. Not Good.

The initial estimate for the pricing of Angels In Mourning was between 15.95 and 19.95. I asked for, and was promised that despite its 414 page length, it would retail at $15.99. This, John explained to me, would impact my royalties. I told him it didn’t matter. The price needed to be held at what I was promised.

It took him a couple of days to work this out. When he finally got back to me, he told me that BookSurge would honor what my previous rep had promised. This did make me feel better about the publisher I’d chosen, as there had been nothing in any files or emails to me about the pricing.

John did tell me that any future books would follow the standard pricing schedule of BookSurge, which is only right.

Then John began to discuss marketing: How was I planning to market the book? What resources did I have? What special things would I implement?

This was an area my previous rep never stepped into. Of course I had thought about these things, but without a completely specific plan. I knew I needed reviews, and needed a way to get my name and the books name into the public eye.

John spent an hour that day, and probably two or three more on the following days, guiding me in the best ways to do Internet marketing. Most of his suggestions were exceptionally good, and I have been following them faithfully, but that’s getting ahead of myself.

My first order of business, because the publication date was set several months ahead, was to get review copies out to everyone possible. This is when I learned that – more often than not – the standard review outlets, the magazines and websites – did not like Non-Standard publishing. Of course I should have realized this, but I hadn’t. A book is a book, is it not? Well, according to certain “standard” outlets, no it isn’t. The prestigious ALA’s (American Library Association) booklist, handles only traditionally published novels. POD’s are not considered. PW, while occasionally taking a non-fiction title, does not welcome submissions from Independently (read POD) publisher/authors. The New York Times Review of Books? Who knows, certainly not I. Foreword Magazine, which is a branch of ALA/booklist, does accept them, however, when I submitted Angels In Mourning, I was informed it was sent in too late.

Of course, 99% of Print-On-Demand will be too late because once the book is ready for printing, it has a release date. This means that most of the standard reviewers expect the book 3-4 months prior to its release date. Not really possible with POD.

Then there is Kirkus, which is among the most prestigious of the reviewing organizations: Of course Kirkus does not review the Non-Standard POD books. But, in their infinite wisdom, Kirkus has created Kirkus Discoveries, a website for “independently” produced books. And of course, they only charge around $500.000 to review the book. Oh well….

So what does a POD author have to do to get reviewed? Stay tuned, and my next Blog will go into that and other marketing necessities…. For sure!