Tate Publishing Sales Report

Good afternoon and Happy Holidays to all! Christmas is right around the corner and we are all very excited about the new year at Tate Publishing. I wanted to post the letter we just received from Key Marketing Group Communications about our sales results over the past several years. We are very proud of all of our staff, authors and vendors for such incredible and unparalleled success.

Enjoy!

- Ryan Tate

KEY MARKETING GROUP
Key to Your Publishing Success

Tate Publishing & Enterprises
127 East Trade Center Terrace
Mustang, OK 73064

Dear Ryan,

I wanted to personally inform you and congratulate you on the unparalleled success we have experienced together over the last five years of service with Tate Publishing.

After a recent survey and study of our past three years of sales with Ingram Book Co, we have determined that our sales rate and growth percentage have been second to none.

According to our records and correspondence with our buyer at Ingram, Tate Publishing is one of the ‘fastest’ growing publishers she currently is working with. Over the last three years, Tate Publishing has grown at an unbelievable rate of over 100% per year, with some percentage rates reaching over 200% of growth.

Also, as of November 2008, we are ranking in the top 20 of all publishers that our buyer currently buys from, which is over 130 publishers. Our estimation is that we will end up around 15-17th ranked by the end of this fiscal year.

As far as projected growth, we are projecting to break into the top 5-10 for 2009, if we continue the same pace of growth rates as we have for the last three years.

With the economic down turn that our industry has experienced over the last few years, it is extremely refreshing to be working with a publisher that is showing unprecedented increases. We totally believe that this is due to the aggressive marketing approaches that Tate Publishing takes for ‘every’ author that is released.

Again, I am speaking on behalf of Key Marketing Group and our buyer at Ingram Book, when I say ‘Great Job!’ Keep up the good work!

Congrats!

Bryan Norris
President, Key Marketing Communications

Dog Ear Publishing Compared To Tate Publishing?

I pose this as a questions because a self-publisher is trying to compare their services to what we do at Tate Publishing and that is strange to us. There is no comparison, Tate Publishing is not a self-publisher by any definition and we provide more services, products and distribution that any other publisher. We offer advances, pay royalties, sell product that is 100% returnable, have direct sales with every major retailer and if an author is asked to make an investment with us, we even offer a contract where that investment is refundable. There is no comparison, but to help with anyone that may have questions here you go.

I do want to state that Dog Ear has done a great thing and changed their website to encourage people to contact us first and they have removed several erroneous comments. I believe they are a reputable self-publisher and serve a certain area of our industry very well. While we still disagree with most of their comparisons, we also understand that they are trying to compete in a difficult industry and the comparisons to Tate Publishing are a must for any publisher.


1. Dog Ear claims they checked 9 out of 10 titles and they couldn't find them for sale. They state they did a check on Amazon, but they also won't provide us with a list of the titles. To say that Tate Publishing books aren't for sale in bookstores is completely untrue, ALL Tate Publishing titles are for sale in bookstores everywhere. Our titles are also warehoused and stocked in every major distributors and retail chains warehouses. Remember, Tate Publishing distributes books as a traditional publisher and we are in the Large Press Division with Barnes & Noble.

2. Dog Ear claims we don't have the highest royalties. We do, every Tate authors receive the highest royalties in the industry, depending on how or where the book is sold (bookstore, website,wholesaler, etc.). For example, our authors receive 15% royalties off of books sold traditionally in a bookstore, 40% royalties on books sold directly from us or our website, and 60% royalties on books sold through deeply discounted retailers like Sam's Wholesale or Costco. Compare our royalties to traditional royalty publishers, not self-publishers like Dog Ear. For more information contact our office and we can provide more details. Self-publishers like Dog Ear don't actually let authors set their own retail prices. That is never a good idea, you need your publisher to be established and distribute product appropriately.

3. Dog Ear claims that Tate Publishing is a self -publisher. We are not a self-publisher by any definition. If Tate Publishing accepts your manuscript for production you will have one of three options provided to you, First is a royalty advance, second is no advance but Tate covers all production, marketing, manufacturing and distribution expenses, third, you will be asked to make a refundable author investment. Also, 100% of Tate Publishing books are distributed traditionally and 100% of Tate Publishing books are returnable. Finally, we are selective in who we publish, self-publishers like Dog Ear take everyone, we don't.

4. Dog Ear claims the amount of resources we put into each of our authors books is extraordinary and we agree. Tate Publishing provides between $16,000 and $22,000 dollars in services, products, marketing, cash and other resources into each title. Once again, Tate authors receive the following:

1. Editing - Copyediting, Technical Editing and Conceptual Editing
2. Custom Cover Design - Our in house design team will work with you to create the perfect cover, and back-matter that helps your book stand out on any shelf.
3. Custom Interior Layout - Your layout artist will once again work with you to make sure that the inside of the book is just as beutiful and attractive as the outside.
4. Ebook Creation and distribution - Every title is available to download as an ebook from our website and other online retailers for ease and instant use.
5. Audiobook creation and distribution - Tate Publishing produces our books as audiobooks as well, we are the largest provider of audiobooks to Apple iTunes and audible.com and have created another opportunity that no other publisher can for our authors to succeed and this gives a Tate author one more advantage over the competition.
6. Website design and hosting - What better way to promote than through your own website, while this can be difficult and confusing on your own we create the website for you and host it so it never costs you a dime. Plus it gives a constant online presence for promoting and selling your work.
7. Video book trailers and commercials - These commercials have become an amazing opportunity and tool for our marketing department and authors. The commercials are streaming from YouTube to our website bookstore, news reports and televisions worldwide. We have more books sold and recognized from these videos than could have every been expected.
8. Marketing - You are assigned an actual marketing rep that manages distribution, availability and sets up events for you worldwide.
9. Publicity - Every event and book is promoted to local and national media for the life of the work. We use several different publicity firms to promote you and your events, but our favorite is Key Marketing Group Communications.
10. Distribution - Tate Publishing product is all 100% returnable and warehoused and not simply made available for order or on a list. We have direct relationships with every major retailer, distributor and wholesaler and provide product directly to their warehouses and are even in the large publishing division with Barnes & Noble, no one else comes close!

As you can see, no one can compare to what Tate Publishing offers, many can publish books, but NO ONE provides the services, products and support that Tate Publishing provides. As you begin your journey ask a lot of questions, ask what other services other than simply book printing or creation a publisher can provide and make sure that you will have a partner that helps create opportunity for you.

As always our staff is here to serve and answer your questions and thanks for your time. God Bless and we are praying for your success.

Ryan Tate

Why Does Tate Publishing Cause Such a Buzz?

Well, it is raining here in Oklahoma today, but I love this time of year! Football season and colder weather mean the holidays are just around the corner and with a four year old daughter at home nothing is better than the holidays!!!

It is funny because I was on the phone with one of our account representatives from Google yesterday morning and we were discussing the volume of people who search for information on Tate Publishing. It is amazing how many people want to know what is going on here, I even read blogs where people can't believe our success or how we are achieving what we are for our authors. We were then discussing how all of our competitors use the Tate Publishing name to try and promote their own companies. To me, it is probably one of the greatest compliments when your competitors use your name and reputation to try and get some business for themselves. I have even seen a company named after a dog post untrue statements on their website about us, it never ceases to amaze me the level people will stoop to! However, we have succeeded on a level that no one can come close to. In the radio business there is a saying, "The top dog never barks back!" and that is true. Many people often ask me if negative comments or lies about who or what we do frustrates me and the answer is two fold.

First, when companies like Dog Ear or other smaller publishers make up information or when I read a blog that is just mean in tone or spirit I hate it and my first instinct is to rebut and correct. Now, we all know that usually gets you nowhere and I believe that the best way to silence a critic is to succeed. That has been our model at Tate Publishing, help our authors succeed.

Second, there is no such thing as bad publicity. While this is hard to believe it is true, when individuals or groups try to attack it only ends up promoting us because it causes people to do more research or contact us. Personal contact changes opinions and we are always eager and happy to help our authors in achieving their goals and educate people on all the options they have.

In our main campus in Oklahoma I office just down the hall from our marketing wing. I love it when I can open my door sit back and hear the entire hall full of the sound of marketing reps setting up events and assisting our authors. It is something that many said couldn't be done and many still can't believe is being done. Tate Publishing is holding over 25K events every year for one of the smallest authors pools there is for large publishers. Most of these authors are first-time and unknown, yet they can succeed. That brings me great joy knowing how hard we work for our authors!

I am also proud of the fact that while it is impossible to make everyone happy, we will always do our best. If I run into an author that is frustrated or upset they are surprised to see that regardless of the situation we are always ready to continue to promote them. That will never end for us at Tate Publishing, we have signed up for a partnership with our authors no matter what and we will always just be a phone call or an email away for more assistance or solutions.

We are a Christian company and many people think I shouldn't openly state that. This in no way implies that we are perfect by any means, but is does speak to the resolve of our convictions to serve and offer services, products and opportunities that we believe are good and in accordance with our beliefs. Romans 8:28 & 31 says that "all things work together for good to those who love God... and that if God if for us who can be against us?" Now at the risk of sounding like a crazy Bible beater, I do believe this with all my heart and this is how I run our business. I am held accountable to God for the service we provide and the integrity by which we conduct our business, our spiritual side frustrates many and I have made so many mistakes in my life I am amazed God didn't give up on me a long time ago, but we always strive to get better and serve better everyday. I believe that is why there is such a buzz about Tate and why we succeed, we believe in what we are accomplishing.

Aside from the fact that we provide a level of services, products and marketing that is second to none and we truly don't have a competitor in this, we believe in the dreams of an author or artist alike to have a chance at success. I only wish we could help everybody and didn't have to be as selective as we are, but we must protect the bottom line to succeed in this difficult industry.

Please continue to send your questions my way and link to this blog. I always appreciate everyone helping us get the word out.

In Him,

Ryan Tate

Welcome to the President's Desk..........

Well, I am very excited to begin the process of helping all of you out there not only understand the publishing industry in general, but specifically about the wonderful options and opportunities available to you at Tate Publishing that no one else can offer!

Tate Publishing is a company that my family started almost a decade ago with one desire;  create an environment where authors truly can succeed.  My parents had published a book when my father was Chief of Staff for the Lt. Governor of Oklahoma with a traditional publisher, the book was titled, "11 Reasons Families Succeed" and it sold very well, but as many authors find out the money always flowed to the publisher and rarely to the author.  In addition, my parents did all of the work, travel, speaking, promotions, just about everything.  The reality became clear that hard working authors deserved a chance to succeed and profit from their book and efforts and that opportunity didn't exist for most.

Tate Publishing was started to create this environment and has been the most successful publishing company story our industry has seen in quite some time.  Tate Publishing offers more services, products, support,marketing and distribution that any publisher out there.  Many will claim they are as good or provide the same level of service or products, but don't be deceived, none even come close.

As a Tate published author you will receive the following:

1. Editing - Copyediting, Technical Editing and Conceptual Editing

2. Custom Cover Design - Our in house design team will work with you to create the perfect cover, and back-matter that helps your book stand out on any shelf.

3.  Custom Interior Layout - Your layout artist will once again work with you to make sure that the inside of the book is just as beutiful and attractive as the outside.  

4.  Ebook Creation and distribution - Every title is available to download as an ebook from our website and other online retailers for ease and instant use.

5.  Audiobook creation and distribution - Tate Publishing produces our books as audiobooks as well, we are the largest provider of audiobooks to Apple iTunes and audible.com and have created another opportunity that no other publisher can for our authors to succeed and this gives a Tate author one more advantage over the competition.  

6.  Website design and hosting - What better way to promote than through your own website, while this can be difficult and confusing on your own we create the website for you and host it so it never costs you a dime.  Plus it gives a constant online presence for promoting and selling your work.

7.   Video book trailers and commercials - These commercials have become an amazing opportunity and tool for our marketing department and authors.  The commercials are streaming from YouTube to our website bookstore, news reports and televisions worldwide.  We have more books sold and recognized from these videos than could have every been expected.  

8.  Marketing - You are assigned an actual marketing rep that manages distribution, availability and sets up events for you worldwide.

9.  Publicity - Every event and book is promoted to local and national media for the life of the work.   We use several different publicity firms to promote you and your events, but our favorite is Key Marketing Group Communications. 

10.  Distribution - Tate Publishing product is all 100% returnable and warehoused and not simply made available for order or on a list.  We have direct relationships with every major retailer, distributor and wholesaler and provide product directly to their warehouses and are even in the large publishing division with Barnes & Noble, no one else comes close!

As you can see, no one can compare to what Tate Publishing offers, many can publish books, but NO ONE provides the services, products and support that Tate Publishing provides.  As you begin your journey ask a lot of questions, ask what other services other than simply book printing or creation a publisher can provide and make sure that you will have a partner that helps create opportunity for you.

Once again, our desire was to create an environment that an author could actually succeed.  Tate  Publishing authors out sell, work and promote all the competition.  No one should have to go it alone.  There are many options out there, but none are of the Tate standard, level of service or quality.  I want to encourage you to check out our other blogs and chat with other staff members if you would like.  

Visit our website and submit your manuscript for review, or simply call the office.  We only accept a small percentage of authors for publication and have three options available.  At Tate Publishing we either offer an advance, pick up the cost without any cost to the author or issue a contract with a refundable author investment.  Regardless, every Tate author has a mix of products, services and distribution that no other company can match.  

Let me know if you have any questions and I am looking forward to providing whatever assistance I can.  God Bless you and as always I will be praying for your success no matter where you end up on your journey!

Sincerely,

Ryan Tate