MSI Press Blog

Out this month, the updated version of Publishing for Smarties: Finding  a Publisher by B. L. Ham. Here is what MidWest Book Review had to say about it: Synopsis: Now in a newly revised and expanded second edition, "Publishing for Smarties: Finding a Publisher" by B. L. Ham is specifically written for aspiring authors having trouble getting their book published, as well as new authors wanting to avoid the long wait through dozens of submissions as publishers they have submitted to seek find a writer whose work they would be amendable to publishing. Written from the perspective of an acquisitions editor for a publishing house who has also served as a reader and adviser for acquisitions editors at presses ranging from small to large to the leading presses in her field, B. L. Ham wants to help new writers navigate the confusing myriad choices in finding a publisher. Typical missteps of new authors are presented, along with criteria for making decisions on choosing

We were delighted to discover recently that MSI Press, quite unbeknownst to us, has been included in a list of the top 19 book publishers in California. We are listed as #5 -- truly a cool experience when you stumble across the listing on the Internet. After all, who does not like positive surprises? Anyway, see for yourself. Click here for the whole list. And if you are looking for a publisher and don't quite know how to go about it, we do have some resources, like: B L Ham's book, Publishing for Smarties: How to Find a Publisher, with insider information from an acquisitions editor and highly rated by MidWest Book Review Critique: Exceptionally practical, 'real world' insightful, packed from cover to cover with specific tips, tricks and techniques, "Publishing for Smarties: Finding a Publisher" should be considered a 'must read' for anyone seeking to have their work, fiction or non-fiction, successfully published on terms as advanta

  Excerpt from Publishing for Smarties: Finding a Publisher Why Would You Want To Self-Publish  As an acquisitions editor for a small publisher, I have sometimes received proposals that clearly indicate that an author would be better off self-publishing. Typically, just one or two exchanges with that author will make that preference clear. Such authors will want full control of the book—cover, title, release date, size of the book, and the like. They will often even say something like, “I can take care of the editing; I just need the press to do the marketing.” Well, frankly, the industry does not work that way. Any press that is going to market the book is not going to turn over full control to an author, and any author that thinks he or she can manage full control in a quality fashion is clearly a neophyte. If an author cannot detach himself or herself emotionally from the “baby” (the proposed book), then no kind of functional working relationship will be able to be buil

  While helping a first-time author, I quite coincidentally came across an old 5-star review for Publishing for Smarties: How to Find a Publisher on Amazon. Review from Amazon: Van W. Wolverton 5.0 out of 5 stars  Kickstart your book’s journey to the marketplace Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2014 Verified Purchase The path from “I’m going to write a book about that” to seeing your work in print (whether on paper or screen) is winding, sometimes steep, and sports more than a few hidden potholes. Here’s your shortcut past some of those first blind curves and potholes, a detailed and thorough guide to the various ways you can usher your creation from your computer into the marketplace. “Publishing for Smarties: Finding a Publisher” guides you through understanding the pros and cons of all the current publishing techniques, from the traditional publishing house that takes your manuscript and does as much or as little as it believes necessary to make it market-worthy—which may or

  Types of Publishers and Choosing among Them Excerpt from Publishing for Smarties Publishers differ in size and readership. Some of the ways in which size and readership cause publishers to differ include the following:   advances;   royalties;  financial investment;  author discounts and complimentary copies;  editing of books;  Books in Print (Bowker/ISBN);  Library of Congress (LOC): copyright and the LOC number;   book reviews;  wholesaling & distribution; bookstores;  advertising;  marketing & sales; and  keeping books in print.  Small presses will handle many of these items differently from large presses. Vanity publishers take a very different approach; of course, with self-publishing much does not apply because you are on your own.  The question as to how long it will take from the time you contact a publisher, get a contract, go through the preproduction and production processes, and end up with a book in hand is answered in so many different ways that it is no

There was a time, not all that long ago, when small ads would sell new books, when large ads would sell large numbers of new books, and when catalogues were the media to which librarians and bookstores looked for stocking books. Books in Print was an essential tool for everyone -- researchers, reviewers, writers, booksellers. Times have changed. Two revolutions have taken book marketing into very different directions. First, the accessibility to self-publishing for authors struggling to be picked up by a major (or any) house resulted in an explosion of books. Some of these have been as good as those published by traditional publishers; many, if not, most have not because authors lack the full range of expertise and resources available from a traditional publisher. Nonetheless, these books make it onto the shelves of bookstores or at least onto the virtual shelves of online stores in droves, droves being thousands every single day. Given relative steady and limited opportunities for

  In lieu of our regular column, we want to bring your attention to the many questions from the column that are answered in this book: Recently released - the audiobook for Publishing for Smarties by B L Ham . Having trouble getting your book published? Or are you a new author, wondering how to avoid the long wait through dozens of submissions find an author? This books is for you!  Written from the perspective of an acquisitions editor for a publishing house who has also served as a reader and adviser for acquisitions editors at presses ranging from small to large to the leading presses in her field, the author helps new writers navigate the confusing myriad choices in finding a publisher.  Typical missteps of new authors are presented, along with criteria for making decisions on choosing a publisher - and advice on how to approach the publisher. Of potentially great assistance, the author, an acquisitions editor, shares real-life stories of manuscripts she turned down -- and why.  T

  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 a widespread misconception by new authors: print runs. Frequently, a new author will ask how many books will be in a print run. Clearly, they have read somewhere or heard somewhere about print runs for offset books. Offset printing is becoming less common though at one time it was the only way to print books; print-on-demand is becoming more common though at one point it was looked down upon as not being the professional way to do things. Let's examine both of these to help understand the concept of "print run." Offset printing: books are printed from physical plates, an older for

  The following excerpt comes from  Practices That Work  (Thomas Garza). Introduction Are you a new or future author? Confused by all the choices  in the publishing business? Afraid of being ripped off? (It  happens all too frequently!) Not sure how to take the first step?  Not even sure how you want your “offspring” (i.e. your manuscript)  to be birthed (i.e. published)? This book is meant for  you. It is not another 500-page reference book about a little  bit of everything associated with publishing. There are enough  books like that; one more is not needed. That said, however,  you should certainly add several of those to your resource collection.  At the very least, you should read Writer’s Market   and subscribe to Writer’s Digest . (Google both; you will find  them. Writer’s Market is also available at most public libraries.) This book, unlike most of the books out there on publishing,  looks at publishing from the combined point of need of  the new author and point of view of t

This week's blog post is the next in the series of book back stories and is the story behind Publishing for Smarties: Finding a Publisher by BL Ham. From the author -  The story behind this book is quite short and easy -- as was writing the book. The topic was one I presented on frequently at workshops for authors. One day, I decided to turn the slide deck into a book. Voila! The book you see here. The plan was to have other books in the series. Indeed, they will appear in due course -- topics such as reading your proposed contract, and more.  Paperback copies of this book can be purchased at the  MSI Press webstore   at 25% discount with coupon code FF25. Currently, it is on sale at a very deep discount. For more posts about this book, click HERE . Sign up for the MSI Press LLC monthly newsletter (recent releases, sales/discounts, awards, reviews, Amazon top 100 list, author advice, and more -- stay up to date)   Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Inter