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.  This week's conversation points out the reason why many authors get rejection after rejection with only the note that "it is not a fit for us." Chances are that is really, truly the reason, and it means that the author did not do his/her homework. Authors should only be submitting work where there is an apparent "fit." To do otherwise is a waste of the publisher's time and a waste of the author's time, efforts, hopes, and, often, money. So, how do you know that there is a potential fit? Check out the kinds of books that the author publishes. It is amazing how many fiction submissions we get. We do not publish

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 asks if connections matter. Well, of course, they do. But how do they fit in an author's life and success?  While one might wish that a formal proposal was a matter of seeking publication on a level playing field, unfortunately getting someone to look at your proposal often means having a contact at a publishing house. From the other side, publishers often look for recommendations from authors they have already published and trust. Closed circle, right? Well, maybe not. Here are says to make contact with publishers and build relationships: There is the traditional way of making contact--through a liter

  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, we step away from our weekly format to tell a couple of stories that might be revealing and helpful to authors who think that the only ways to get a book published are through the help of a literary agent, direct contact with a publisher, or self-publishing. Likely, very few authors think they might be contacted by a publisher and asked to write a book. But it does happen. How it happens, though, tends to be an "oh, by the way" that comes up as a publisher's need or as a publisher's insight about opportunity. Thre examples come from our publishing house.  When the pandemic broke out, there seemed

  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 republishing self-published books. Can you get a traditional contract from a traditional publishing house for a book you have self-published?  Well, that depends. As the acquisitions editor for a traditional press that also offers hybrid publishing contracts for untested writers, the answer is an across-the-board no, but there are some publishers who might. Let's look at the reasons for and against republishing a self-published book, from a publisher's point of view. Why a publisher would not want to re-publish a self-published book -- Typically, an author thinks that he or she has exhau

  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 talks to those who use social media and explains the importance of predictability for effectively promoting your book. Specifically, how do we know? Most-Read Posts Our most-read posts come from our regular columns; other posts may be looked it, but the statistics show us that, with some exceptions, it is the regular columns that readers looks forward to and come back to. Here are some of them: The Story behind [a particular book, a different one each time] Sundays Cancer Diary Mondays A Publisher's Conversation with Authors Tuesdays (yeah, today) Posts dedicated to achievement of high levels of foreign language proficie

  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 looks at a special contract feature.  We have been talking about contract specifics -- and will continue to do so -- but one clause that will not come up in the discussions based on MSI Press contracts is the exclusivity clause -- because we do not require it. Some publishers, however, upon contracting with an author for a book, will require the right of refusal for any future books. In other words, if the author writes another book, the publisher has first dibs on it, and the author does not have the opportunity to seek another publisher unless his/her current publisher says so (by turning down the subs

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.  This week's conversation addresses the question how publishers decide whether a book is a fit for its publishing program. Some answers should be obvious; others not so. In short, there are two "fits" that are needed: book fit and author fit. Book Fit All too often, an author submits a book that should be evident will not be a fit. Often, this is because the author does not learn more about the publisher, check out publications by the author, read the description of the publisher in Writers' Market and other such sources, and/or fails to read the website of the author carefully. Here are some non-fits: The book is not among th