Authors Lounge discussion

I have been contacted by a publisher who is interested in taking over a book I have already wrote along with two others that will follow it in a series that I am writing now. I have never dealt with a publisher before and am curious what is considered to be a good royalty plan and what is not acceptable. I don't want to be screwed over and without an agent I am afraid that might happen. Any suggestions or comments would help?

I am with a publisher and when I first considered signing they sent me a contract. I don't know where you live, but I live in Canada and we have a national write's union. You must have something similar where you are. Anyway, I downloaded a copy of a standard publishing contract and compared them. You could probably find one online. I made a few requests for changes and they obliged. Hope this helps, good luck.

That is very helpful. Thank you so much. Do you find being with a publisher a plus or was being an independent writer easier?

I've never been an independent writer. But you have, and so you know how to self publish and all of that whereas that would all be new to me. A lot of my writer friends are self-published and I would say the difference I notice is that they get things done a lot faster than a publisher. But you do have the advantage of professional editing that you don't have to pay for. It really is up to you. If you are successful as an indie author, maybe you don't need to go with a publisher, but if you want marketing support and a further reach if your books haven't gotten you out there, a publisher may be the route to go.

Thanks so much. You have given me a lot to think about. Appreciate it.

Go to absolutewrite.com and check they Bewares, Recomendations, and Background Checks thread. You can look up any publisher there and see what what others experiences are with a certain publisher. Always check out the publisher FIRST.
http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/f...

The two other places to check are WriterBeware http://accrispin.blogspot.com

And Preditors & Editors http://pred-ed.com

Real publishers don't often contact writers, they get so much stuff already, but on occasion they do. Please research whichever publisher it is first to make sure it is not a vanity press that promises the moon without telling you the hidden costs, or some scam publisher. Always do your homework first looking them up before you consider them, not after you sigh a contract when it's too late.

Do you feel comfortable saying which one it is?

It's a misnomer to say that you don't pay for the editing a publisher offers. Believe me, you pay (in lost royalties). I make up within a week what I spend on my six editors who make up my editorial team. (Yes, I approach editing the way a publishing house would with more then one editor--and daresay I probably have double the number they would use.)

I'd be very leery of accepting any offer from a publisher. I published four books so far myself and plan to continue as indie. Even in this year of shrinking book sales, I still make a lot more than my traditionally published friends do. AND I have creative control of my story. Okay, I have total control of everything to do with my career, too, which is nice.

And, as Cindy said, DO YOUR HOMEWORK on the publisher in question. The nightmare stories I've heard...well, just make me want to remain forever indie even more.

Kally