Self Publishing - Page 5 - Writers Forum

Amedeus · 06-28-2007, 03:14 PM

And its not true that there are no companies that will find an agent for you. Arborbooks has people that will.

Mike C · 06-28-2007, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amedeus

And its not true that there are no companies that will find an agent for you. Arborbooks has people that will.

Maybe I should be using shorter words. Arborbooks is strongly not recommended. They will charge you inflated fees with no real interest in success, or they'll pass you on to one of their 'approved' agents who will also charge you a fee.

Try to understand this: assume your book sucks, just for one moment. Arbour books won't tell you that, they'll take a fat fee from you instead. They might also sell you some expensive editing. Then they'll pass you on to a fee charging agent, who also won't tell you your book sucks but will soak up whatever cash you have left, for as long as possible, before dropping you blaming a 'downturn in the market'. Trust me on this, I've seen it happen. The upshot is, you'repoor and unpublished. Query an agent direct, and they would have told you the book sucks for free.

You obviously know far more about the subject than me, Amadeus, so I doubt very much you need any more advice.

Krim · 06-28-2007, 05:43 PM

Amadeus...it's been explained to you a dozen times from people who have been in the business years longer than you have. And you still don't understand. If an agent won't represent you because your book isn't good enough, MAKE YOUR BOOK BETTER. Don't send it to a for-fee publisher or self-publish it and end up having months or years of work amount to maybe a few hundred dollars when your immediate family purchases a few copies of your overpriced, crappy, typo-filled book.

You seriously think agents are going to pay attention to someone who sends out mass queries with "Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. Agent/Publisher/Editor," as the header? That's plain naive. Do it if you want. It's your money, not mine.

Ignorance.

By the way, valeca, you missed him making a typo with "who's".

valeca · 06-28-2007, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krim

By the way, valeca, you missed him making a typo with "who's".

Nah, I didn't. If I had to point out all the missing commas and apostrophe's, it'd have taken too much time.

wmd · 06-28-2007, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amedeus

Actually you naive little boy Ive found some software that that bundles up ypur query letters to many alot of agents for you. So it looks like im not the one whos ignorant. And what about the rest of us who cant find an agent? Maybe gettting a fee for service agent is the next best thing. Kind of akin to slef publishing. Which is what this thread was originally all about anyways.

So what do you do when this "magic software" sends queries to 100 agents, none of whom accept simultaneous submissions? Then you just pissed off 100 agents and wasted their time.

wmd · 06-28-2007, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amedeus

And its not true that there are no companies that will find an agent for you. Arborbooks has people that will.

Think about how backwards that is... a publishing company that finds an agent for you?

Companies like arborbooks thrive on ignorance.

wmd · 06-28-2007, 07:27 PM

look at this awesome deal arborbooks has....

Quote:

Originally Posted by from arborbooks.com

What Do We Do to Get Them Interested in You?
There are many ways to reach movers and shakers in the publishing and entertainment industries, as well as the media. And we can help you with all of them after you write an autobiography or other book.
• Write a query letter and send it out to promote your manuscript (or screenplay). The price is $2,000 and includes 500 contacts.

• Create a book proposal, a comprehensive analysis of your book and its marketability, that can be used to entice an agent or publisher. The price is $3,000.

• Create a bound galley. This is an actual exact replica of what your finished book will look like. This bound galley (also known as a “review copy” or “uncorrected proof”) can then be sent out to potential reviewers or endorsers or for peer review for prepublication. With great reviews from the media and powerful endorsements from well-known celebrities, authors, politicians and others, you will stand a much better chance of selling your book to an agent or publisher. The price is $3,500.

You can get all of the above services for a special package price of $5,500. We can even give you a FREE evaluation of your manuscript.

So, if you're looking for that big break and don't want to go down the road of self-publishing, try our agenting service.

WARNING: Beware of unscrupulous ghostwriters and self-publishing companies that claim they have connections to agents and publishers. This is a scam right up there with agent “reading fees” and agents that specialize in helping “first-time authors.” It’s usually accompanied with a hefty manuscript evaluation fee coupled with an even bigger editing fee.

Such a great deal.... only $5500!

ironic... their last paragraph.

lin · 06-28-2007, 07:50 PM

Quote:

I don't want the full package, just the one that guarantees lithe lit-groupies who'll attach themselves to my groin like limpets. Where do I send thew check?

PayPimp

So for $5500 they will may your name to a bunch of agents whose addresses are available for free. Hey, that DOES sound snazzy!

Bet you naive boys are thinkin twice now, huh?

But, what the hell, just send me your credit and ATM cards, this might take awhile.

bmking · 03-29-2008, 05:43 AM

Self Publishing - Lulu.com and cafepress.com

Judith Tramayne · 03-31-2008, 02:12 PM

I find it amazing when writers talk about self-publishing, they always think about print publishers. Has it occured to any of you to make a pdf ebook and sell it from your site.

Now I'm not talking about novels, lulu.com is great for that or booksurge.com which is affiliated with Amazon.

Non-fiction how to type ebooks work great for self-publishing. If you ebook is informative and filled with great content, then you can get other people to market your ebook. Check out clickbank.com and see the hundreds of thousands of ebooks being sold by affiliates. Granted you'll give away part of your profits but 50% of something is better than 50% of nothing.

The beauty of the Internet is you have a global market. And it's EZ to market on it from your comfy home.

I've had people buy my ebooks all over the world and there is nothing like getting an email from someone across the world telling you how much they enjoyed your ebook.

Self-publishing isn't just about finding a printer anymore.

Judith
P.S. Sorry but I've been self-publishing on the Internet for over 10 years and I get a little passionate about ebooks versus print books.

phurst · 04-02-2008, 06:15 PM

I just left the San Francisco Writer's Conference and IUniverse gave me their 250 page book (advertisement) while I was there. I have read it and they do offer some interesting packages. It might be worth checking out for various reasons. Some things they offer are exciting until you realize that you can't confirm the output such as the independent review, but I have no experience with them. Anybody ever deal with them?

cpickett · 04-04-2008, 09:57 AM

Hi all,
Whew, long thread. Maybe you should move this comment and start a new one.

Quick note regarding learning about the various POD publishers (which is only sorta self-publishing as a reminder)

The blog PoDdymouth has done a couple of comparisons of the major players lately. Everything is archived. The December one was easier to follow in my opinion, but if you're a sports person you'll like the March madness edition.

Dehanna.com also has a comparison database you can access as a pdf.

Bear in mind, some personal opinion is included, but a lot of good stats are there too. Best thing is to start with these types of resources and then do some research on your own to narrow the field.

Also, make sure you always keep your goals in mind (beyond getting published) as you consider which option is right for you, whether it's POD, traditional or independent (true) self-publishing.