It is about 1 hour away from the college football game of the week and my wife is downstairs getting the house ready for some friends and family to come over to watch The University of Oklahoma play Texas Tech. I have the television on the sports station ESPN and have been watching all of the scrutiny the coaches in both collegiate and professional athletics are under. It seems like it is impossible for them to make everyone happy unless they are winning every game by 100 points. While that is impossible it never ceases to amazes me that there are people out there that expect that level of perfection or you should be fired.
While I believe everyone should pursue perfection and success, I also know that being perfect, never losing or having every dream come true without failure, trouble, or tribulation along the way is unrealistic. I hate to steal the cliche, but if big dreams were easy, then everyone could do it. I look at publishing the same way.
As an author, when you take the time and dedicate yourself to writing a book you have begun the process of pursuing an amazing dream, to become published! For most of you the realization of how difficult this industry can be is starting to settle in. For most the only option is to self-publish. Getting an advance or having a publisher like Tate Publishing take on your book is difficult. Just remember though, difficult is good. Self-publishing is something that anybody can do. I am not saying that self-publishing is bad, just easy and lacks any of the tools, services, or partnerships necessary to succeed with your book in the retail marketplace.
I want to encourage you to make decisions that give you the best opportunities for success. At Tate Publishing we are very selective and sign a very small percentage of the manuscripts submitted to us. However, we always provide an author that is rejected or turned down the reasons why and what they could do to make the manuscript better. If selected or offered one of our contract options, the author is being offered not only the best contract in the industry, but a life long partnership with Tate Publishing.
One of the things I am most pleased with is that regardless of how long a Tate Published book has been on the marketplace the author can contact us to do more at any time. We love the opportunity to do more, serving our authors and helping a passionate author that is driven to success to create opportunities is our life, it is what we love!
There is no magic wand we can wave to make a book successful, the formula is simple in that we know nothing worth doing is easy. I have seen some books take off and sell 10's of thousands of copies with little effort, that is possible, but for the most part it is a well planned attack that leads to a successful book. That is why Tate Publishing exists and is who we are, no author can be in better hands then at Tate Publishing.
So remember to be smart about your decision to pursue a publisher. Look at production, services, products and the distribution you will receive and make sure you are not going it alone. You need a partner that has a lot to lose with you, that type of partnership is a wonderful opportunity where everyone is motivated to succeed.
Be sure to read my other blogs on Tate Publishing and the opportunity and partnership we offer. As always, if you have any questions or need any assistance let me know or contact our offices. Have a wonderful week and God Bless!
Sincerely,
Ryan Tate
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tate Publishing - The Economy - Book Publishing Industry
I have been thinking a lot about what I was wanting to write today and the impact that the economy is having on everyone not only in America, but the world. For many it is a very difficult and trying time and I am constantly being asked by authors and other individuals in the publishing industry why things are doing so well at Tate Publishing when the rest of the industry is slumping.
It is a fact that when people are faced with economic changes they don't simply stop spending money or pursuing their dreams. If that were the case the economy would not exist at all and there would be no spending, no loans, no new homes, you get the idea! The truth is that when people are faced with the types of changes to the economy we are facing they don't stop, they become more selective, educate themselves better and make choices that will truly be necessary and benefit them. I believe this is why we are seeing such success at Tate Publishing. Authors are choosing to go with a publisher that has a proven track record and can actually deliver opportunity for success. I have said this many times, but the problem with self-publishing is that unless you have a huge amount of resources and a huge following ready to purchase your book, you will most likely not sell many copies, let alone sell anything through a bookstore.
At Tate Publishing our authors not only receive the best products and services, but the partnership with our marketing staff is what truly makes the difference. When you have a team of individuals who wake up every morning to work with you to set up events, promote your book, distribute your book and publicize everything, you actually have a chance. So we believe that authors are becoming more educated, and looking to go with a publisher that they know will give them an actual chance, not a situation where they have to do everything on their own and their opportunity is left to luck.
Carolyn Reidy, the President/CEO of Simon & Schuster just spoke at the Evangelical Christian Publisher’s Association’s CEO Symposium and Publishing University at the Westin Hotel in Lombard, Ill. in November. Her remarks were about the incredibly horrible time they and publishers alike are facing during these economic times. Her fear and concern were obvious and understandable. Tate Publishing has developed a model that is author centered, this model creates an environment where when the author and publisher are working in a true partnership, and success is possible in any economic situation.
Once again, we are committed to delivering more products, services, distribution and publicity opportunities to our authors than anyone else. That is the Tate difference, a situation where the flexibility of self-publishing and the power of traditional publishing meet to create the successful environment Tate authors experience everyday!
Whether you are a published author, publisher or looking for a publisher, I am praying for you on your journey and believe that the best thing you can do is gain knowledge. Hopefully this blog can help you in the search and as always let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Ryan Tate
It is a fact that when people are faced with economic changes they don't simply stop spending money or pursuing their dreams. If that were the case the economy would not exist at all and there would be no spending, no loans, no new homes, you get the idea! The truth is that when people are faced with the types of changes to the economy we are facing they don't stop, they become more selective, educate themselves better and make choices that will truly be necessary and benefit them. I believe this is why we are seeing such success at Tate Publishing. Authors are choosing to go with a publisher that has a proven track record and can actually deliver opportunity for success. I have said this many times, but the problem with self-publishing is that unless you have a huge amount of resources and a huge following ready to purchase your book, you will most likely not sell many copies, let alone sell anything through a bookstore.
At Tate Publishing our authors not only receive the best products and services, but the partnership with our marketing staff is what truly makes the difference. When you have a team of individuals who wake up every morning to work with you to set up events, promote your book, distribute your book and publicize everything, you actually have a chance. So we believe that authors are becoming more educated, and looking to go with a publisher that they know will give them an actual chance, not a situation where they have to do everything on their own and their opportunity is left to luck.
Carolyn Reidy, the President/CEO of Simon & Schuster just spoke at the Evangelical Christian Publisher’s Association’s CEO Symposium and Publishing University at the Westin Hotel in Lombard, Ill. in November. Her remarks were about the incredibly horrible time they and publishers alike are facing during these economic times. Her fear and concern were obvious and understandable. Tate Publishing has developed a model that is author centered, this model creates an environment where when the author and publisher are working in a true partnership, and success is possible in any economic situation.
Once again, we are committed to delivering more products, services, distribution and publicity opportunities to our authors than anyone else. That is the Tate difference, a situation where the flexibility of self-publishing and the power of traditional publishing meet to create the successful environment Tate authors experience everyday!
Whether you are a published author, publisher or looking for a publisher, I am praying for you on your journey and believe that the best thing you can do is gain knowledge. Hopefully this blog can help you in the search and as always let me know if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Ryan Tate
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Book Publishing Research
Good afternoon, I had intended to write earlier this morning, but like most of the country I was up late last night watching the results come in for the Presidential Election. I have been getting a lot of questions from authors about how to search for the best book publishing company. This is an excellent question and that very search for a book publisher is what lead to the founding of Tate Publishing many years ago.
As you have probably read in past posts, Tate Publishing was founded to provide the only real opportunity a first-time or unknown author has in the book publishing industry. Most authors begin their search for a publisher by going to the internet and using Google or other internet search engines and looking up keywords like "book publishing", "get published", "publishing companies", or other keyword searches to help them find a publisher. While this start makes since, the problem is that you will be instantly bombarded by countless self-publishers claiming they want your book and want to publish your book for almost no money. This is when you need to become very selective as an author!
First, make sure the publisher is selective. What I mean by this is that you need to make sure that the publisher doesn't accept every author. Selectivity makes sure that the publisher's product line and services will be good and you will have an actual chance to compete in the book publishing industry.
Second, look at the services the publisher offers. Many self-publishers require you to purchase books, purchase services or simply print books. You need a partner, you need to know that if you sign with a publisher the end result and the final product will be truly ready for the marketplace.
Third, distribution is the most important part. Please make sure that the publisher has actual distribution and doesn't simply list titles in a database like a self-publisher will. Your product must be warehoused and inventoried with stores and distributors and product must always be 100% returnable, if it isn't, bookstores and buyers won't even look at it.
Fourth, customer service is a must. Does the publisher answer your calls, return them and treat you like the asset you are, or is it cold and you feel you are going to be doing everything yourself? That would be a bad situation and almost gaurantee the failure of your book.
Once again, Tate Publishing is the best in the industry and offers services, products, distribution and customer service that is second to none. I encourage you to read my blog about our services and what to expect and about what book distribution should be in order for your book to actually have a chance to succeed!
During your journey ask a lot of questions and always make personal contact. You need a partnership to succeed and people make the difference. An established publisher is very important in this industry. As always please feel free to contact our offices or respond to me with any questions you may have. Don't forget, I am praying for you and your success and the exciting opportunities in our book publishing industry, especially for Tate Published authors.
Sincerely,
Ryan Tate
As you have probably read in past posts, Tate Publishing was founded to provide the only real opportunity a first-time or unknown author has in the book publishing industry. Most authors begin their search for a publisher by going to the internet and using Google or other internet search engines and looking up keywords like "book publishing", "get published", "publishing companies", or other keyword searches to help them find a publisher. While this start makes since, the problem is that you will be instantly bombarded by countless self-publishers claiming they want your book and want to publish your book for almost no money. This is when you need to become very selective as an author!
First, make sure the publisher is selective. What I mean by this is that you need to make sure that the publisher doesn't accept every author. Selectivity makes sure that the publisher's product line and services will be good and you will have an actual chance to compete in the book publishing industry.
Second, look at the services the publisher offers. Many self-publishers require you to purchase books, purchase services or simply print books. You need a partner, you need to know that if you sign with a publisher the end result and the final product will be truly ready for the marketplace.
Third, distribution is the most important part. Please make sure that the publisher has actual distribution and doesn't simply list titles in a database like a self-publisher will. Your product must be warehoused and inventoried with stores and distributors and product must always be 100% returnable, if it isn't, bookstores and buyers won't even look at it.
Fourth, customer service is a must. Does the publisher answer your calls, return them and treat you like the asset you are, or is it cold and you feel you are going to be doing everything yourself? That would be a bad situation and almost gaurantee the failure of your book.
Once again, Tate Publishing is the best in the industry and offers services, products, distribution and customer service that is second to none. I encourage you to read my blog about our services and what to expect and about what book distribution should be in order for your book to actually have a chance to succeed!
During your journey ask a lot of questions and always make personal contact. You need a partnership to succeed and people make the difference. An established publisher is very important in this industry. As always please feel free to contact our offices or respond to me with any questions you may have. Don't forget, I am praying for you and your success and the exciting opportunities in our book publishing industry, especially for Tate Published authors.
Sincerely,
Ryan Tate
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