Pet Peeves of the Publishing
Industry
You’ve finished your
masterpiece, and by the grace of the book gods it’s going to be published.
You’re work is finished, right? Wrong!
Many first-time authors make
the mistake of thinking the majority of the heavy lifting is finished with the
book writing process. That may be the end of their comfort zone, but it’s only
the beginning of their work load. There are several steps in the publishing
process in which authors must participate to help make their novel a success.
Some publishers will refuse to
accept future work from an author if they feel that author hasn’t made a good
faith effort on aspects of the book outside of the writing. With that in mind,
here’s a list of publishing industry no-nos to avoid:
1.
Avoiding social media
Our
world is shrinking because of the Web. Publishers expect their authors to be
their own best supporter by utilizing social networking sites to build a
following from family, friends, coworkers and other acquaintances who are
likely to support their work. All prospective authors should begin making a
network of contacts online through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Goodreads,
Google+ and appropriate writers groups on Yahoo! or other sites. You may also
want to create a separate Facebook account for each book so that you can
encourage writer friends, family and others to Like you on Facebook and leave
comments. A failure to utilize the free marketing on social networking sites
will raise a red flag with publishers.
2.
No online presence
One
of the best ways an author can make a good first impression with readers is by
creating an attractive Web site independent of their presence with their
publisher and online retail outlets such as Amazon and Barnesandnoble.com. Your
site should be your best sales pitch in convincing a stranger who has never
heard of you to try your book. Your site should include photos of your book
cover, yourself and perhaps candid shots of you with your spouse or pet or at a
literary event. It should also include all there is to know about your book
including character sketches, a synopsis, a video trailer, podcasts, an
announcements area where you share your upcoming appearances and a place where your
readers can write you to give you feedback. Publishers want to see you active
on your site, and won’t take kindly to sloughing off on it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Title: Grim
Series:
Sons of Darkness Series, Book 1
Author:
Joseph Spencer
Genre:
Crime, Dark, Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller,
Publisher:
Damnation Books
Paperback/Ebook
Words:
93,000
Book Description:
When everything is taken
from him, Detective Adam White must choose what's most important. Does he stick
to the heroic ideals which made him a famed paragon of justice and take down a
murderous madman? Or does he give in to his vigilante impulses, avenge his
wife's murder, and become the type of killer he's hunted for so many years?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3.
Skimping on marketing materials
Publishers
would like to see authors get creative with how they promote their work. There
are a number of items authors can create cheaply as giveaways to help attract
interest in their work. Putting your cover art and email address on business
cards, post cards, bookmarks, notepads, pens, mugs and various other items that
you offer at appearances for free can equal sales later on. Anything that gets
your name in front of a prospective buyer is a good thing. Authors also can put together slick sell
sheets, media kits and other handouts which can be mailed to reviewers, media,
libraries and retailers on their home computers. Nothing gets you in the dog
house with a publisher faster than failing to self promote.
4.
Unwillingness to edit
Some
authors are very temperamental about their material remaining how it’s written.
In some cases, changes to the narrative may vastly alter their intended message
or tone to the book. The fine line between artistic expression and deferring to
marketing professionals is something in which each author must decide for
themselves. Other authors loathe the editing process altogether and expect
editors from the publishing house to bear the brunt of the work. A failure to
make suggested changes or to completely rework passages may end up in a
publishing deal collapsing.
5.
Coming off cocky
Industry
professionals hear book pitches all the time. Almost all of them claim to be
the next bestseller or that the proposed novel is better than the novels
already out in the marketplace. This is the wrong approach to take. Many agents
and publishing houses view this type of approach on some level as if you’re
telling them they don’t know how to judge talent and they made a mistake in
representing/selling current clients and titles. Needless to say, you don’t
want to insult the person you’re trying to win over to make your publishing
dreams a reality.
Joe
Spencer is the author of Grim, a paranormal crime thriller released by Damnation
Books in September 2012. It’s the first in the planned Sons of Darkness series.
His second book, Wrage, is due out in 2013. He can be reached at www.josephbspencer.com.
About the Author:
INTRO
Joseph Spencer is the author
of the Sons of Darkness series launched by his debut novel, Grim, on September 1, 2012. Work on his second book of the series, Wrage, is
already underway and is expected to be released some time in 2013.
THE ROAD HERE
The Sons of Darkness is a
series of paranormal crime thrillers following investigations into mysterious
deaths in the central Illinois
city of Prairieville. Home of the notorious serial killer, The Reaper,
Prairieville has had a history of violence centered on an ongoing feud between
the Marino and Black organized crime families. When bodies start showing up
again at the abandoned Marino State Hospital, many fear the Reaper has returned. The people of
Prairieville are about to find out their problems stem from a supernatural
source which has lurked in secret for decades.
THE STORYTELLER’S STORY
As a boy, Joseph Spencer
immersed himself in the deductive logic of Sherlock Holmes, the heroic crime
fighting of Batman and Spider-Man, and a taste for the tragic with dramas from
poets like Shakespeare and Homer.
Before Joseph took to
spinning his own tales, he pursued a career in print sports journalism,
graduating with honors from Clinton (IL) High School in 1996 and summa cum
laude from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 2000. He covered such
events as NASCAR’s Subway 500 race in Martinsville, the NBA Draft Camp in Chicago, the Junior College
World Series, and Minor League Baseball’s Midwest League All-Star Game during a
ten-year career throughout the Midwest. Now, he works as an emergency telecommunications
specialist with an Illinois police department. The combination of years of
writing experience with a background working with law enforcement professionals
gave rise to his writing aspirations.
Joseph was married Dr. Amy
(Waggoner) Spencer, an accomplished veterinary doctor, on March 14, 2012. He received word his debut novel was accepted by
his publisher, Damnation Books, the next day. Joseph and Amy look forward to
their honeymoon in Paris in September 2012. Murphy, a 15-year-old orange
tabby, is perhaps the most vocal member of the family. The Spencer family
enjoys reading Charlaine Harris, George R.R. Martin, Mary Janice Davidson, and
most paranormal stories. The Spencers also enjoy quoting movie lines from The
Princess Bride, Rain Man, Bridesmaids, and Office Space.
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