MSI Press Blog

  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.  Today's topic asks (and answers) I question I see underlying a number of authors' organizations posts on the Internet that do a great disservice to authors. The question: Do publishers cheat authors out of royalties? The short is that traditional publishers are honest; there is no reason not to be. Scammers are everywhere, and many would-be published authors get sucked in by being told how wonderful there book is when a traditional publisher will not take it (because it is not wonderful). Let's look first at why traditional publishers have to be honest, and then let's look at why authors question their royalties. (To set the st

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 topic is books that have aged. Can you consider to market and sell an "old" book? Sure! Here are some suggestions: First, really important, look at the content.  Is it dated? Then, it is time for a second edition. Outdated books do not sell. New editions do. Make sure you bring it right up to date. Then, you have something to market. Not dated? You might still want to consider a second edition. A second edition says "new," and "new" attracts. Previous purchasers. Look through your records. Would they buy the book again? Many would, if there were a new edition. New markets. How has the market changed si

                                                                                                                    ( photo by Frank Perez) 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 choosing a publisher. Of course, you do choose a publisher, but also a publisher chooses you. It is a two-way affair. So, let's take each approach separately. How do you choose a publisher? Decide what you are looking for in a publisher. Do you want a large publisher with big pockets who might be able to get your book on the NYT best seller list, give you a large advance, or get you attention from a national television show? (You better have one whale of

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.  Once again, we pick up the topic of book marketing.  Lisa Angle on a podcast with Bea Bloeser,  Boost Your Book: Social Media Tips from 'Talking Book Publishing , where they were interviewed by Kathleen Kaiser and Adianna Moriarty, Writers and Publishers Network (WPN), talks about the important of author's interpersonal connections with potential readers--and how that is the new expectation for book sales. "Connection," she says, "is the new world of marketing." As has been emphasized in this "publisher's conversation" column on a number of occasions, sales no longer depend exclusively on publisher act

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 focuses on what to do if a publisher tells you that your book needs work. Editors will rarely tell you this. It takes time for them to write back to you, and it takes time for them to give you specifics about your book's lack of merit for publication. How should you interpret their words when they actually communicate with you? If a publisher says that your book needs work (and nothing more), there are a few responses and interpretations: Generally, this is a kind (though it may not seem so) comment, helping you to understand why the book is being rejected rather than the typical "does not meet ou

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 topic is a never-ending one: book marketing. The sales of the books of many first-time authors suffer low returns because their authors believe that marketing should be the province of someone else (the publisher, the distributor -- and yes, both do market books) and are reluctant to learn the business end of the book industry. For those who believe (or a least hope) that the writing of their book frees them up to write the next one, here are some reasons to develop some marketing skills: Books published through Amazon (yeah, free) sell about 250 copies over an author's lifetime on average; that average comes from 10% high-sell

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 topic suggests not underestimating the power of small. As in your book niche; as in your publisher. Take a look at it: Being in a small niche is not a bad thing.  While there may be fewer overall members of your target audience, you are not going to sell to every member of your target audience, anyway. For example, if your niche is parenting, yes, you have a lot of possible buyers BUT you have a proportionately greater number of competitors; unless you have a recognizable name, you may not be able to get your book "seen."      Some niches are easier to dominate than others. So, for example, the parenting category, into wh