A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: We Lost Her; We Found Her; She's Gone

 

It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. 

Today we take a moment away from our usual content to talk about an end-of-life preparation issue. This issue affects publishers, authors, and authors' families. What happens when an author dies?

If all has been taken care of properly in advance, the next of kin inform the publisher, and the published continues to pay out the author's royalties -- to the designated family member. The problem is when not everything is taken care of properly in advance. Consider these two stories, associated with our publishing house, MSI Press.

• Cynthia (Cyn) MacGregor published Everyone's Little Book of Everyday Prayers with us a number of years ago. She passed away at the age of 94 in July 2020. Listen to an interview with her that was re-broadcast as a memorial tribute by Pun Intensive. It was this interview/tribute that led me (her publisher) to the discovery that she had died two years ago. I wondered if something like this had happened when email to her bounced. It took quite a google search to find this much; I still do not know who her next-of-kin are or how to contact anyone who might know. Meanwhile, any royalties she has coming to her will remain in our bank account until we can find her next of kin (if ever). Although all our authors are asked to provide next-of-kin information, few do.
• Jim Ostdick was a personal friend and someone who had self-published a terrific book, Walks Far Man. He became an associated author (we do not sell his book, but we help promote it). I found out quite easily because he is a local in my community. However, I wondered if his brother knew anything about the book (no, he did not) -- and if he wanted us to continue promote it (yes, he did). When I contacted him, he was very grateful to learn about how publishing works (including self-publishing) and how to follow up on Jim's copyrights and royalties. Had I not contacted him, those things would have disappeared into a black hole. Jim had failed to prepare his family for his death in terms of his publications; when that happens, relatives cannot follow up (sometimes do not even know they need to).

We have found out about authors' deaths in a number of ways, none of them properly planned:

• bouncing emails
• silence, followed by web searches
• a fellow author or co-author who knows
• a friend who knows about the book(s) and tracks us down
• next of kin (yay), but in far too few cases

Bottom line: Information needs to be double-sided to make sure there are no complications and loose threads once an author has passed on -- and no one knows when he or she will be passing on, so early prep is important.

Lesson for today's Tuesday talk: Clue in your publisher as to how to contact your kin. Clue in your kin as to how to contact your published.

See more Publisher Conversations with authors HERE.

 Learn more about publishing from an acquisitions editor -- how to get your book proposal accepted, why proposals are turned down/accepted, and how to find the right publisher for your book. On special sale for $5 while inventory lasts at MSI Press webstore.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             

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