Get Published and Don’t Get Scammed, from Rudy Shur’s talk on October 20^th 20204

Rudy Shur has talked with many authors and writing groups in his long career. He’s learned that lots of authors get ripped off by people they thought were going to help. And he points out, the book world is a rather large marketplace—it can be hard to know who will really help.

We  should always try to know who we are dealing with, know about what they do and how they do it, and make our approaches to them as professional as we can. To this end, Rudy shared 9 rules of publishing.

1.     There are exceptions to every rule

Someone always wins the lottery. It doesn’t mean we should all buy lottery tickets. Authors who “win”, and produce a best-seller without following the rules, will often try to tell us how they did it. Then we try to follow them and get nowhere. They got lucky. But let’s not just rely on luck.

2.     Know Your Category

There are 12 categories in publishing.

1. Trade – general marketplace
2. El-high – text books for elementary to high school
3. College texts
4. Technical professional books?
5. Scholatic professional books? (I can’t read my writing. Please correct me if these last two are wrong).

Plus “Religious” versions of each.

Most of us are probably looking for trade publishing.

3.     Know Your Audience

Your book is NOT for everyone. Think about your expected reader profile

1. Man, woman
2. Young, old
3. Child, adult
4. Average reader, well-educated reader…

If you contact a publisher and say your book is for everyone, they will conclude you don’t know what you’re talking about.

4.     Know Your Marketplace

Marketplace is not the same as audience. Marketplaces are the places where books might be found. These include bookstores, online stores, specialty shops, libraries, schools etc. A publisher will help suggest places besides bookstores, but if you’ve already thought of some your proposal will look better.

5.     Know the Difference Between Publishing Houses

• Commercial Big – these houses rarely talk to authors and prefer to work with agents. Yes, they might pick you up without an agent if, for example, you’ve got a huge audience on social media already, but that’s the equivalent of winning the lottery. You can contact them, but you should expect to be rejected. They might have a slush pile. They might put it there for someone else to look at before rejecting you, and that will take time.
• Commercial Medium – these houses get lots of proposals and work with both authors and agents. They know the marketplace and have a good ability to get your book out. And they’re less likely to reject you straight away. (They’re more likely to have a slush pile.)
• Small Publishers – these don’t normally work with agents. They look for authors who they think are good enough for them to carry, whose writing captures their interest. They are more likely to ask you to send more after they read your initial proposal.

Send your proposal to any of these, preferably several at once. Just know what to expect so you’re not disappointed.

Note, if a smaller publisher releases your book and doesn’t get many sales in the first few weeks, it will still sell the book, but it may stop trying to market it.

Finally, there are:

• Hybrid Publishers – These used to be called vanity presses. They are like a commercial house, but they might ask you to pay them for everything. They are not normally a good idea, but can be a good fit if you know what you’re paying for and why, but you should compare prices and make sure you believe it’s worth it.
  • Editing
  • Typesetting
  • Printing
  • Marketing
  • Distribution

6.     Know Why You Want to Get Published

Knowing why helps you focus on the right options and avoid disappointment. Do you just want to see your name in print, share your story with a few friends? Do you want fame and prestige? Do you want money? Will having the book in print meet your need or will you end up frustrated?

For example, a doctor might publish a book to get his name out there and increase his practice.

7.     Write a Good Proposal

What’s in a Submission/Proposal?

1. It should be short and to the point.
2. It should be sent to someone who DOES publish the sort of thing you’re writing, so do your research! Know your publishers:
   1. Writers’ Market 2024 (5) includes a breakdown of subjects and publishers. The front of the book tells you who to write to, what they want, how they work, etc.
   1. Or go to the library and find books similar to yours. Look up their publishers and find out how to contact them.
   1. It’s okay to phone the publisher and ask for the name of the acquisition editor. Then you can make your proposal more personal/more professional.
3. It should include your contact information, just in case they actually like it.
4. It should not include your self-published book – it’s not going to be well enough published to impress them
5. It should include three things:
   1. Cover letter – maybe 2 pages/4 paragraphs
      1. First, an overview paragraph describing your book. Then a paragraph about the marketplace – what books are like it, who read them and where are they sold. Thirdly, an author blurb – what part of your background makes you the person to write this book; what papers or books have you published; what programs do you run; what awards have you won? And fourth, a final message: “Enclosed you will find a table of contents and an introduction to my book. If you find this of interest, please let me know what else you might need. Please note, this is a multiple submission”
      Table of contents
   1. 3-5 page introduction to the book
6. Acquisition editors don’t have time to read 20 pages. Keep it short. If they want more they’ll ask for it.

8.     Send to Multiple Publishers at Once

Send your proposal to several (10/20) publishers at once. Then resend and resend. You do yourself a disservice if you only send to one. 20 proposals out the door is a good start.

9.     Get a Contract (and Read It)

Your contract should be reasonable to understand but make sure you do understand all the terms and ask questions. E.g. Is the royalty based on the retail price (say $19.99 sale price on Amazon), or on the net price (sale price from publisher to Amazon is $9.98)

Make sure you understand the subsidiary rights – foreign, audio, ebook, movie, toys – what royalties will they give you?

Be reasonable in your expectations. A first time author is unlikely to get a huge advance.

If you know someone who has been published, talk to them and compare notes.

Avoiding Scams

What if someone contacts you and says they want to publish your book? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For example, if they say there’s a chain of booksellers in the UK who will sell 5000 copies of your book, and all you need to do is print them and ship them… But booksellers can return unsold books and get all their money back, from you, which leaves you…

If it’s a hybrid publisher, find out what they will charge for editing, typesetting etc and find out what other people will charge. If they charge $5000 for editing, they’re probably overcharging – $1000 is more the going rate. If they charge $25 a page for typesetting, it’s a rip-off; $10 per page is more likely.

How much does publicity cost, and how much will it cost to hire your own publicist.

Yes, social media might sell your book. But it might not. How much are you willing to spend?

Always look for reviews when people contact you, but also check for fake reviews. Are they from authors whose books are on Amazon, or from people claiming to be authors, whose names can’t be found anywhere else on the internet?

How Many Copies?

What if we self-publish (or hybrid)? How many copies of the book might we want to buy? How many do we need to make it a “real” book?

In the old days you had to buy thousands of copies in a single print. Now it’s all print on demand and you only buy what you know you can sell. Be realistic, or you’ll end up with tons of books in your garage.

Are Fiction proposals the same as Non-Fiction?

Mostly, yes. The same rules apply. Big commercial publishers will still probably reject your proposal. Medium size ones might accept it. Small ones will ask for more info if it keeps their interest.

The cover letter will be the most important piece. Also, check what the publisher wants from you – a certain number of pages, a completed book? Sometimes it’s best not to have finished the book yet, as the editor might want more input on how the story develops or ends.

Are Vanity Presses ever a good choice?

Yes. If you’re tired of rejections, you hate marketing, you think the price is right, then go for it. It can be a really good experience, and some vanity presses really do know their stuff.

If your “vanity” book sells thousands of copies, you might be able to build on that when contacting a commercial publisher. They might decide that with better editing it could sell even more thousands.

What about Agents?

Agents typically look for people who’ve been published before. Best if you’ve written several books, won several awards. Again, be aware of scams. An agent should NOT ask for money from you!

Square One Publishing

Rudy wrote several health books, got them published, and sold a reasonable number of copies of each. Then one book took off and sold ½ a million! That’s like winning the lottery. He says he has no idea how it happened. But he has a deep interest in helping authors.

In particular, Rudy points out that he is a dyslexic author. We can learn more on the website at https://squareonepublishers.com/blogs/notes-from/notes-from-a-dyslexic-publisher-14

Square One Publishing https://squareonepublishers.com/ sells lots of health books and specializes in various niche markets. The submissions page at https://squareonepublishers.com/pages/square-one-submissions tells you what sort of books they are looking for. Rudy would be happy to hear from any of us if we have something that fits these categories, but would probably reject anything that doesn’t fit.

The company helps writers with a collection of Writers’ Guides, found at https://squareonepublishers.com/collections/writers-guides. (Note, you can buy these on Amazon, sometimes without postage, and sometimes at lower prices.) If you read one, Rudy would appreciate feedback. The next edition of a book is improved by adding answers to questions raised by readers of the previous edition.

The publishing word has changed a lot post-COVID. Lots of smaller stores (e.g. health food stores) that used to include books in their inventory closed. This meant the distributors who used to sell to them also closed. And the books are now bought from big stores or from Amazon instead.

Rudy’s talk was very informative, very easy to understand, and very helpful. I hope the minutes aren’t too confusing. Apparently my handwriting is even worse now than it was before hand surgery, and I know I missed several things where I can’t read my notes, so please email admin with any additions if you want them included on this page.