I actually prefer keeping a positive attitude\u2014looking on the bright side of things\u2014turning a frown upside down\u2014seeing a glass as half full\u2026 But I try not to bury my head in the sand, either. <\/p>\n
The fact is that anyone who has been involved in publishing for any length of time (and some who are just starting out) has a horror story to tell. Of course, one reason that I spend an hour or so every day posting to this blog, that I write and submit a dozen or so articles every month, that I produce books on publishing and that I travel around and speak to you personally is to minimize your instances of negative publishing experiences.<\/p>\n
Some of them, however, just sideswipe us when we\u2019re innocently standing by. But all of them should be learning situations and, where possible, teaching opportunities. Here are a few horror stories from my own experiences and those of others:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tJust this week, I heard from an author who received her shipment of books from the publisher only to discover that their editors had made changes without consulting her. And this was a book of poetry! Yes, the editors took license with her poems, changed some of the words and then the company published it without getting her okay. This happens with nonfiction books, with novels, but with a book of poetry? There is just something terribly wrong with anyone who would mess with a creative work like this without express permission from the author.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tWhat about contracts? How many of us actually study the publishing contracts we\u2019re issued and completely understand them? I know one author who signed a contract with a fulfillment company after a personal conversation with the representative. He believed that the company would do as the representative promised, even though this wasn\u2019t in the contract. The company did not live up to their promises. In fact, they denied that they ever made them. He ended up selling 0 books and losing $3,000.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tI think we all know someone who, upon receiving their new book from their pay-to-publish company (or printer) found numerous mistakes. One author told me that there was a comma in the title where one was not called for and a misspelled word on the front cover. Others have been disappointed in the way the text looked on the pages. This is a lesson in responsibility. We MUST take more responsibility for our projects so we know that we are getting an excellent product. In this case, since the author was not familiar with how to do page layout and cover design, he should have hired professionals. The pay-to-publish publisher and, in some cases, the printer, may not care enough about your project to alert you when something doesn\u2019t seem right. Their job is to print what you give them. Thankfully, on an upbeat note, our printer for Catscapades, True Cat Tales<\/em><\/strong>, 360 Digital Books, has contacted us twice this week telling us that something wasn\u2019t right with our file. They\u2019re working with us to get the right resolution for the photos with the program they require that we use to transport the files to them.<\/p>\n \u2022\tYou\u2019ve heard me complain about clients writing over my carefully placed edits and then crediting me as editor when they publish it. This is a rude slap in the face and an embarrassment, especially when the author is a terrible writer. It\u2019s going to be an embarrassment to the author, as well, when people start critiquing this book.<\/p>\n \u2022\tSpeaking of editing\u2014another huge mistake authors make is not to hire an editor at all. Some authors aren\u2019t particularly savvy. They aren\u2019t aware that they need an editor and they just forge ahead with their books. But when the book is published (with numerous grammatical, punctuation and semantic errors) and friends, book reviewers, etc. point this out, he realizes his mistake. Don\u2019t make this mistake\u2014always hire an editor and always allow him\/her to review the last revision. If you are entering into the world of publishing, invest in insurance against some of these horror stories by reading books by experts in the field of publishing. Start with my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. And if you are interested in supplementing your income (or promoting your book) through article writing, sign up for my online course\u2014in progress now. Every Wednesday, for 6-weeks, I send a lecture and assignment to your email box. And if you love cats and cat story books, order my NEW book, Catscapades, True Cat Tales <\/em><\/strong>at the prepublication discount (free shipping and free gift). This offer is good through March 15, 2010. http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades.html<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I actually prefer keeping a positive attitude\u2014looking on the bright side of things\u2014turning a frown upside down\u2014seeing a glass as half full\u2026 But I try not to bury my head in the sand, either. The fact is that anyone who has been involved in publishing for any length of time (and some who are just […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
\nThis is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to publishing horror stories. If you have one, leave your comment here. <\/p>\n
\n<\/em><\/strong> http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/rightway.html<\/a><\/p>\n
\n http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/course_magarticles.htm<\/a> <\/p>\n