THE Group for Authors! discussion

Wow, that's pretty crappy that they mistreated you just because you had the editing and cover done independently. Just more facts backing up how horrible they really are, I guess.

The only real problem I've had with Lulu in the past (after I discovered the formatting issues were my fault--I hadn't followed the template{s}) is that the author-purchased copies are more expensive than on Amazon. But unless and until Amazon decides to do hardcovers, Lulu is my free and easy choice.

Dayanara wrote: "Wow, that's pretty crappy that they mistreated you just because you had the editing and cover done independently. Just more facts backing up how horrible they really are, I guess.

The only real pr..."

Lulu has its pro and cons, just like any publisher I guess Mr. Dayanara. I guess Lulu just wasn't for me.

"Ms. Dayanara". Like Marc Anthony's first wife, Dayanara Torres. That's where I got my name. ;)

(It's not a pen name...I legally changed my name in 2007.)

I am new here. I barely know my way around but I just had to look for a group of people that had similar experience with TATE. So I sent them a manuscript about 4 years ago. I received a call from one of their sales reps a couple of months back informing me that I was SELECTED, take note... they used the word SELECTED or was it PRESELECTED can't remember. I was so happy that they were going to publish my book. I am a novice wannabe writer so you can just imagine how I felt. So they told me that they liked my book and it was very marketable. All I had to do is provide a print ready file or something so they can go ahead and publish my book. after weeks and months of phone calls to a point that I have labelled them in our house as a TELEMARKETER I was convinced to pay $990 which should have included all their package. They were telling me I was getting a good deal because the regular price for that package was $4000 or something. 5 months... 5 months and my book is still not done. Cover design is just a photo you can grab from the internet, editing was just horrible their customer service speaks Martian and they only are interested to talk to you if you start talking about getting more services from them. What your reading right now is nothing to what I had to go through.

Because of the mix messages I was getting from them since they are "CHRISTIAN" publisher and when you talk to them they always use GOD every 5 mins but weird because I never felt their sincerity. I asked around and did some research and found out a lot and I am telling you, this company is just pure evil. These people will flat out lie in you face with a bible in their hand.

here are some things I found out about this company. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A-PKh... use that link from youtube

What really shattered me was the way they use God and Christianity in everything they say but they are just not that kind of people. I can't believe these people will do such a thing but they are doing it! DO NOT SIGN UP WITH TATE

the last draw that made me come out was when someone IN THE COMPANY who is UNHAPPY told me that their "CEO" Ryan Tate got his BEST FRIEND's wife pregnant. The couple both worked in Tate but when the news broke out the couple left the company. I want to post a picture of their daughter since this Ryan guy is denying it but I won't. The kid does not deserve to be humiliated.

"Best friend's wife pregnant"? YOW and I thought their firing scandal was hot!

...conclusion and bottom line for me is: I should have posted my pondering BEFORE signing with Author House UK, would have saved me a lot of money. I have sold 13 books with a shop in our little town and made £105 pounds in two weeks: with Authorhouse UK I made £23 in four months! I did all the work, editing, cover design etc AND ALL the internet marketing - for them to make money! Won't happen again. Thank you all, appreciating all the comments on this page.

Yvette wrote: "Tameka wrote: "here are some things I found out about this company. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A-PKh... use that link from youtube"

WOW! I just listened to Ryan Tate ream his staff. What th..."

The social media post was about outsourcing to the Philippines that Ryan Tate INITIALLY LIED about to his staff until he got got red handed.

Why would you lie to your staff about what the company is doing. They are just a bunch of chronic liars! So much for Christian Publisher!

Dayanara wrote: ""Best friend's wife pregnant"? YOW and I thought their firing scandal was hot!"

Ryan Tate has had two affairs that his wife and family know about. One was with his families personal assistant. What they don't admit is the son he has with her. The other was his best friends wife who both worked for him. He had sexual relations with her during the same time for a period of over a year. His wife found out and exposed the truth. The best friend and wife were fired and threats from Dr. Tate went out to the company of an immediate termination if anyone spoke to the best friend or the best friends wife that Ryan was sleeping with. Complete cover up. Ryan Tate is no longer allowed to have an office with or around staff and is not allowed to communicate one on one with any female staff members.

A day after I posted things about Tate, my email got hacked! I wouldn't be surprised if my post here will be deleted

and don't believe in that BBB rating Tate has. The founder Dr. Tate is a member of the board of Oklahoma BBB.

Tate Publishing is bad news, and I feel sorry for all the authors who have fallen into their trap and signed that contract.

Please do your research online and with a lawyer before signing a contract.

Tate Publishing is a vanity publisher of the worst kind. These days they are preying mainly on elderly writers who don't know any better. It's very unfortunate, especially for a company who claims to be Christian. As a Christian myself, I find this whole practice sickening.

PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM TATE PUBLISHING!!!!!!!

Peeps, stay away from all vanity publishing houses. They only rip you off and you slave for them, like all corporations do. Try to publish traditionally, even if it is hard. The market is so terribly full of writers who only are out to make some money. Real writers, good writers should go with traditional publishing, this is my opinion. There are no filters any more, like agents, everybody can throw their trash at readers. What would you call 50 shades of some ugly colour? Sorry, but making money should not be the ultimate reason for a writer to write. Societies across the world need good writers; our young people are brain washed enough by cheap books and films. Contribute to a better world - write - and publish to help small companies and book stores survive. This is my opinion, never meant to be offending. I am an avid reader and appreciate good writing.

Well, there is a very limited justification for vanity publishers, in that there are people who need to have a book available, such as paid lecturers, who may not meet the standards of a traditional house and may not have the time and energy to seek out freelancers. Even in that case, do some research and confirm that you're receiving the professional services that you're paying for.

There is no reason whatsoever for fiction writers to ever use them. They will not get your book into book stores. Even if their editorial staff is competent, this is not their specialty. Fiction writers should submit to publishers. Do a little research. You are much more likely to be accepted if you target your submissions carefully.

Do not spurn E-publishers either. There's a lure to a shiny new physical book, but people buy fewer and fewer of them, and more and more of the ones that are sold are off the internet, rather than booksellers. I have seen many people claim that there's no point to an E-book only and you might as well self-publish to Kindle and keep all the royalties. Don't believe that one for a hot second. A reputable E-publisher will give you many professional services up front that you would have to pay freelancers for, and often of a higher quality than you could easily find in the open market, give you access to professional opportunities, market your work, and have it available in a number of different venues. You'll sell a lot more books, and likely make more money. Money isn't the only reason to write, but remember the quote from Samuel Johnson.

If you really want to write fiction and can't get a contract or don't want to bother, use Createspace. It's free unless you order copies. Don't get hung up on the access to Ingram. All that will do for you is make it possible for some retailers to order a copy of the book on request. It doesn't get you stocked in stores.

Yvette wrote: "Tameka wrote: "and don't believe in that BBB rating Tate has. The founder Dr. Tate is a member of the board of Oklahoma BBB."

This just keeps getting worse and worse. I am quiet angry with them ri..."

HA! They will accept any manuscript as long as you pay or spend any money.

Skadi wrote: "Try to publish traditionally, even if it is hard... Real writers, good writers should go with traditional publishing..."

I do hope you are being ironic with this statement, given your book was "published" by Authorhouse, the most notorious vanity press of them all!

They only accept single digit MS is a joke. What they mean is that they only close a single digit percentage of the authors they offer a contract too. They offer contracts to every MS that is submitted. If your MS is about worshiping the devil they will ask you to lighten it up and then offer you a contract. If you have been offered a contract from Tate Publishing you can actually see through their desperation. As the month comes closer to an end, I bet your offer goes down. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a monthly sales goal of no. of authors. The $4000 deal drops to about $900 on the 30th if they are not close to their goal.

don't get me started with Authorhouse. The only thing why I Tate for me is so much worst then any "publishing" company is because of their press release that they are a "Christian" company. That is just pathetic!

another private message that I got. Apparently, Tate employs or has an office in Asia Philippines like a sweat shop paying bloggers $8/day to write good stuff about them. Wow... just wow!!!!

My reply to message 232: No, the only irony here is that I had to learn the hard way. I published with AH because I had felt clueless ad rather helpless at the time. It was my first book and I thought 'let them do it', which was a big mistake. I hadn't done my homework. I only want to pass my experience on.

Skadi wrote: "Peeps, stay away from all vanity publishing houses. They only rip you off and you slave for them, like all corporations do. Try to publish traditionally, even if it is hard. The market is so terrib..."

Well said Skadi...well said...

Everyone who has a computer, or is able to pay a printer, can self-publish a book. If a book sells great, that doesn't say anything any more about the quality of the book. It only proofs that the marketing of the book is savvy. With no agents, who used to function as 'gate-keepers', the market is flooded which does not help serious writers. Why should people - Gods forbid - pay for a good book, when they can download thousands for free on the internet? The market is flooded, confuses and spoils the readers and as a result it contributes to "dumming and numbing" them. Maybe we all should just concentrate on ghost writing for celebreties - sure thing to get published. Vanity press - the right name....

Jill wrote: "Thank you everyone for your help. I have decided to wait and not sign with Tate Publishing. Hopefully I will get some more acceptance letters soon. Thanks again."

I USED CREATESPACE. They were great.!

The best source for legitimate publishers and agents is the 2014 Writer's Market book. ~

I joined Firstwriter when I was looking for my first publisher - small fee ($10/year, I think) and you can search their database by category, which includes ratings and reviews of each publisher & agent by those who have worked with them or been in contact with them. Large, long-standing sites like these have amassed a lot of info and can really be useful.

Thanks! That sounds great! ~

K.A. wrote: "I joined Firstwriter when I was looking for my first publisher - small fee ($10/year, I think) and you can search their database by category, which includes ratings and reviews of each publisher & ..."

I'm definitely going to keep that in mind. I looked at Writer's Market and a separate agents book...it was like $29.99 or $39.99. Not even worth it for something that will go off in a year. $10 for Firstwriter sounds much more reasonable.

After publishing four books with CreateSpace/Kindle, I'd rather take near anonymity than $4k for nearly nothing. Especially now that both Amazon publishing services just eliminated their deposit minimums...

Dayanara wrote: "K.A. wrote: "I joined Firstwriter when I was looking for my first publisher - small fee ($10/year, I think) and you can search their database by category, which includes ratings and reviews of each..."

Amazon has no more deposit minimums? Did I read that correctly? Thank you!

Yeah, they just announced it yesterday. I think they sent an announcement email just for that for CreateSpace, and then it was also in the KDP newsletter yesterday, so it's not just for print books.

Your welcome. :)

Dayanara wrote: "Yeah, they just announced it yesterday. I think they sent an announcement email just for that for CreateSpace, and then it was also in the KDP newsletter yesterday, so it's not just for print books..."
I got a notice maybe two months or so ago, and I've been getting teeny tiny little deposits ever since. Some of them are really funny, but it actually adds up more than I had thought even if we are in the lunch money range most months.

You know, I just realized it has been going on for a while. I got thirty-eight cents on a Kindle book not too long ago and I laughed when I realized what it was.

at least you are getting some. It's a start. :)

Dayanara wrote: ""Ms. Dayanara". Like Marc Anthony's first wife, Dayanara Torres. That's where I got my name. ;)

(It's not a pen name...I legally changed my name in 2007.)"

My apologies Ms. Dayanara, I should have looked at your profile before I responded.

R.M. wrote: "Tate Publishing is bad news, and I feel sorry for all the authors who have fallen into their trap and signed that contract.

Please do your research online and with a lawyer before signing a contra..."

I couldn't agree more with this post...my complaint is mentioned somewhere above this comment. I repeat Tate Publishing is not a Christian publisher.

No big deal. We have bigger fish to fry. (Although I don't know how well Tate would taste if we fried his tuccus. ;) )

Yvette wrote: "Tameka wrote: "and don't believe in that BBB rating Tate has. The founder Dr. Tate is a member of the board of Oklahoma BBB."

This just keeps getting worse and worse. I am quiet angry with them ri..."

To Yvette. I suggest that you ask to be released from your contract if the situation does not improve. I don't know how much you have invested with Tate, so I'm only suggesting here.

I don't remember if there was anything in my contract, but you'd better check to see if there is any penalty for breaking your contract. They might opt to sue you.

Dayanara wrote: "I don't remember if there was anything in my contract, but you'd better check to see if there is any penalty for breaking your contract. They might opt to sue you."

Well they could opt to sue me. They can go ahead because if they do it would be bad for their business lol. Also the daughter of the founder Dr. Tate told me I was free to do whatever with my book. But if they sue Dayanara I will put up a fight lol!

Dayanara wrote: "No big deal. We have bigger fish to fry. (Although I don't know how well Tate would taste if we fried his tuccus. ;) )"

I don't like fish lol!

It would probably taste like chicken. That's what they always say, don't they?

If you're putting up a fight with Tate, would you like to borrow my sword? :>

Yep that's what they say. Yes please Ms. Dayanara I'd love to borrow your sword. Hey I got the Ms. part right this time lol!

*passes it along* Bring it back clean, please. It's my only one. (Haven't quite found a suitable katana yet.) Until you do, I only have a dagger and a staff and the latter isn't even a bo, it's a ritual staff. :P

Dayanara wrote: "*passes it along* Bring it back clean, please. It's my only one. (Haven't quite found a suitable katana yet.) Until you do, I only have a dagger and a staff and the latter isn't even a bo, it's a r..."

Yeah I'll bring it back clean and a dagger and staff is just fine lol!

It's true what they say here. Tate will drastically lower their contract from $3990 to $990. I was just offered earlier. End of month quota perhaps. So I asked if they have anybody that I can call that signed up with them and got their money back. They couldn't give me one. Just ONE name... nothing

They didn't want me that badly, then, because they never made me the lower offer. (I couldn't afford that, either, but it's just the theory.)

Dayanara wrote: "They didn't want me that badly, then, because they never made me the lower offer. (I couldn't afford that, either, but it's just the theory.)"

They offered me a free marketing and distribution contract, although I I got the feeling it wasn't free lol! They were trying to charge me for their "services."