MSI Press Blog

  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  Today's post is a reaction to a communication last week with a new author, whose proposed contract we just rescinded--and why. The author had an interesting book but one that would not have broad appeal; yet, some kind of narrow niche depth appeal seemed likely or at least possible. The author had no publishing history, no platform, and no clear group of fans. This is not all that uncommon for us because we specialize in helping first-time authors edit their first books into good enough shape to win awards and gather in readers and reviews. As a result, we not only invest time, effort, and money into the production of the book, but we al

  It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. 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's topic addresses contracts -- what is a good one, what is a bad one, and what do the specialized terms actually mean? I will answer these questions in a series of posts, using, to start, our contracts, and will go through them paragraph by paragraph. Then, I will look at some other publishers' contracts for differing content. So far in this series, we have looked at paragraphs 1-7. Now we will look at paragrahs XX. At this point, it is important to know that all contracts differ, sometimes even those from the same publishing house, and numbers are not going to match. However, all contracts should have essen

San Juan Books is the hybrid division of MSI Press LLC. It allows first-time writers to become published in a traditional way through the reduction of risk by sharing publication costs. All other publishing features are traditional in nature, and most SJB authors go on to be offered traditional contracts for their subsequent books. SJB publications are available as paperback, hard cover, and e-book versions. SJB authors' books very much hold their own against their contemporaries in the traditional publishing division. Indeed, a number of them have outsold their traditional compatriots. Today, San Juan Books presents author Dr. Liz Bayardelle. Liz published Clean Your Plate! 13 Things Good Parents Say That Ruin Kid's Lives . Her book has earned 5-star reviews and won a gold award from Titan Reviews and a finalist position in the Readers' Favorites competition. Subsequently, Liz was offered a traditional contract for her much-needed book, Parenting in a Pandemic . To see mor

  It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. 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's topic is about whether to seek traditional publication, self-publish, or go the hybrid route. Each of these approaches to publications has advantages and disadvantages. - Self-publish (you do everything yourself):      Pro: You can proceed immediately. You have full control over all content and design. You get all the net income.     Con: You have full control over all content and design--meaning, the book is only as good as your own professional skills (or, you can pay for professional services that a traditional publisher would provide for free). You don't know what you don't know. It will take much