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Byron Edgington

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Blogs by Byron Edgington

The book biz--short version
7/22/2013 8:54:04 AM

Small presses are the future
I’ve discovered Google+. It seems, thus far, to be a good thing, full of functionality, lots of goodies, portals for acquaintances, friends, hangouts, sharing spots, groups to join etc. A good thing, I think, thus far. Today’s offerings brought a question from a new user in my writing group: The fellow named a publisher who’d picked up his manuscript, and he wondered if this particular outfit was legit?

My question back to him was, did they ask for money up front? Did they demand an open-ended contract? A reading fee? Are there extra charges involved, for cover art, editing work, rewrite charges? What about copyright? Who obtains the ISBN and LCCN? What will they do for the book to promote it? As I scribbled my list I wondered about the state of the book business today. Are we really headed for five, four, maybe only three major publishers, and those authors who get rejected by them are left to scramble for small presses? I’ve been very fortunate with Biblio, my publisher. They’ve gone out of their way to assist my efforts to sell books, and the product is first rate. The Sky Behind Me, a Memoir of Flying and Life isn’t exactly flying off the store shelves, but it’s doing okay, and I’m happy with the treatment.

I believe we are headed that direction. I also believe this offers a tremendous opportunity for independent authors and publishers alike. With the internet offering everything from cover art creators to editors to reviewers to full-package self-publishing there’s no reason anyone needs a major house or imprint anymore. Do authors need to promote their own books? We always have. Do we have to learn the business side of book writing and publishing? Yes, and that’s a very good thing. Are there scammers out there, people who will sense a hungry author who itches to get his/her book published? Naturally. They’re making websites and sales pitches every day, and they’ll get takers, too. I’ve run into a few of those predators myself in the past. Dangling a book contract in front of a yet-to-be published author is powerful stuff. Tough to resist when you’ve worked so hard to write the book of the century, and even your siblings like it. It’s a whole new world of publishing, and an exciting one as well.

I advised the Google+ fellow to reject the offer. Not sure if he will, but my guess is he’ll feel duped if he doesn’t, and very glad if he does. BTW–the half price offer is still in effect for TSBM. Register at The Sky Behind Me Blog today and get the book at 50% off, paperback and digital editions. Use product code ‘SkyBlog.’

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More Blogs by Byron Edgington
• Off Ramp: Weekly Short for 12/01/2014 - Saturday, December 6, 2014
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• The Sky Behind Me, a Memoir of Flying and Life, $1.99 for Kindle - Tuesday, November 4, 2014
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• Interview: Mike Petersen, Killer Book Marketing - Tuesday, October 14, 2014
• Audio Review_The Unheralded King - Sunday, October 5, 2014
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• Silent Sky: From 9/11/202 - Thursday, September 11, 2014
• Great stories and a chance to help - Monday, August 25, 2014
• The Sky Behind Me, a Memoir of Flying and Life, $4.95 for Kindle - Saturday, August 23, 2014
• SkyWriting: Essays on the Art and Craft of Aviation - Monday, August 11, 2014
• Book review: There I Wuz - Monday, August 4, 2014
• Lip smacking mystery - Tuesday, July 22, 2014
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