Tate Publishing Releases Lee Greenwood's Book!

There is a lot going on and tons of new great authors releasing the last couple of months in all genres across the board.  Wanted you to see some great coverage Lee Greenwood got recently that you are sure to enjoy.  This is perhaps what I love most, that we are taking talented authors that have never written a book and they are making not only America a better place, but our world.    Exciting times, but please make sure if you are publishing a book you actually have marketing support!  Why do all the work of writing a book, and then skip the most important part when it comes to picking a publisher that actually can create opportunities for you.  Be smart, research a lot and remember that even a great book without visibility will usually never have a chance!

Enjoy Lee's interviews!

Lee's FoxNews Interview



I'm still Proud To Be An American!


Sincerely,


Ryan Tate

Tate Publishing Announces Television Commercials For Author Family

As we begin another year we are all very excited at Tate Publishing!  2009 was one of the most successful years in the history of Tate Publishing and 2010 is positioned to exceed that.  While most of the publishing industry was in turmoil and marked by financial pain and job loss.  Tate Publishing increased our market share and watched authors succeed like never before.

While 2009 brought many famous authors to Tate Publishing like Kenny Rogers and even American Idol song winner Reggie Hamm, I am the most proud that our first-time or previously unknown authors showed  unprecedented success.  As an author it is always important to have a publisher that can truly partner with you and help you succeed in a very difficult marketplace.  That is exactly what we accomplish everyday at Tate Publishing.

We pride ourselves in providing more products, services, distribution and publicity than any other publisher in the industry, especially for first-time authors.  We will never forget that to be a successful author, you must have a powerful publisher that can partner with you to truly succeed.  We have always provided this level of service and experience, but we constantly are looking for new ways to expand and help our authors accomplish even more.  In this same spirit we are pleased to announce that we have once again pushed the envelope and are now able to provide nationwide commercials on over 150 different networks for our authors.

Visibility is one of the most important things an author needs.  Visibility is key to sales and with the addition of television commercials to our marketing and publicity plans, we put Tate authors on a completely different level than anyone else.

Starting in January we will begin airing  :30 second commercials of our published titles.  These commercials will play nationwide on the largest networks.  We are so excited that we can provide this opportunity and we have committed to make a huge investment in our authors.  

2010 will be another great year at Tate Publishing and make sure you drop us a note when you see Tate Published authors on your television this year!!!

Have a wonderful year and God Bless,

Ryan Tate

Tate Publishing Increases Market Share and Opens New Facilities

It is the beginning of a new month and a wonderful time to be in the book publishing industry.  I could not be more proud of the incredible authors, artists and staff we have at Tate Publishing.  While most publishers in the industry struggle to make ends meet, our authors are selling great and holding more events then ever.  I am perhaps the proudest that our staff and author pool know the difference hard work makes.  

Educated and experienced business people will be the first to tell you that supply never drives or creates demand.  Many authors or artists think that if a publisher will just print a million copies and put them everywhere people will buy them.  That is silly!  Our philosophy is that we must create demand first and then the product will sell.  The Tate Publishing marketing staff is second to none and the best in the business at gaining visibility and setting up events for our authors.  Authors that want to be successful understand that they must have a publisher that can market and partner with them to have the best opportunity for success.  That is why self-publishing is not always a good option for authors that want to truly succeed and sell books in one of the most competitive markets in the world.  You can see why I am so proud of our people and the family of Tate authors!

In addition to the successes in the marketing department and book sales, I am also excited to announce that we have opened up a new 8,000 square foot production facility.  As Tate Publishing continues to add and provide additional services and opportunities to our authors, our need for space and offices for our staff continues to grow as well.  This month will be the first full month that our production staff will be in the new facilities and we couldn't be more excited.  

The new offices include lounge and kitchen areas for our authors and artists when they are visiting.  A brand new state of the art studio, illustration rooms, conference rooms and huge production floors for our editors, graphic artists, multi-media department and producers.  If you haven't been out to visit the Tate Publishing campus please call and schedule a time to come out and visit.  We would love to have you.

As always if you have any questions please feel free to send them my way and we are praying for you and your success!

Sincerely,

Ryan Tate

Tate Publishing - Just Returned From New York

I have just returned back from New York City and had to blog about how proud I am of the incredible work our authors and staff are accomplishing.  This week was a planning retreat for the upcoming year with all of our high level executive staff members.  These individuals are the directors of all of our departments, manufacturing divisions, marketing and public relations firms.  From Senior Editors to Executive VP's, we meet to plan and discuss how to continue to grow and serve the publishing and music industries.

While most publishers and music labels are suffering and having to take huge action to stay in business, we are expanding.  Our sales have increased, our exposure and Tate sponsored and promoted events have nearly doubled in the last year.  This is a result of talented authors and what we believe is the best staff in the industry.  Our model and the partnership we provide is proven and has changed this entire industry over the past decade.   When we select an author or artist work, success is possible with great production, editing and design when mixed with our top of the line marketing, promotion and public relations divisions.   You must have this type of partnership as an author to even have a chance.  

While in New York we took a break to head over to the Barnes and Noble corporate offices to meet with our large press buyer.  She is a delightful lady and her support, hard work and belief in the industry and our company are absolutely priceless.  While this type of relationship and support is a result of many years and the success of our product line, it is also a result of the great staff and buyers at Barnes & Noble.  These individuals demand great product and great books that have a publisher with a vision and fantastic marketing plans to help each title succeed and have the best opportunities possible to be seen and sold.  These relationships are a true blessing and a great call for us to continue to deliver products, services and marketing that is second to none for our authors.

This week proved to be an exciting time of developing future vision and placing an emphasis on continuing to lead in every major category.  Over the course of this year you will see many new products and promotions launched as a result of this productive time, once again continuing with our mission to add to our already extensive and industry leading services, products, marketing and distribution.  

I want to say thank you to all of the executives that were there and continue to serve our authors and staff every day to continue to be the best.  Your passion and willingness to never accept failure as an option inspires us all.

Sincerely,

Ryan Tate 

What Makes Tate Publishing The Best

I am often asked what sets Tate Publishing apart and why are we able to succeed when others fail.  The answers are simple.  First, we believe in what we are trying to accomplish, a great company, individual, family, really anything needs a great set of values or moorings it can hang onto and believe in.  At Tate Publishing we believe we are changing the world through our books.  That is not something we take lightly, we truly believe our authors are changing the very world we live in.  My parents who founded Tate Publishing had a simple desire, deliver the best books possible to the marketplace and change the world through content and success.  We accomplish this everyday at Tate Publishing.

The second key to success at Tate Publishing is that believe we have recruited the most talented staff in the industry.   When executive staff members are interviewing or talking with potential job candidates several things are emphasized.  First, any employee that needs to be managed is probably a bad fit for us.  We believe that individuals that need to be tightly managed are never going to make the company better.  Great employees don't need to be motivated, they motivate others to greatness.  If you walk the halls of Tate Publishing you will get the feeling that our staff is accomplishing great things everyday and bringing new ideas to the industry.  Second, we look for staff that view what they do as a responsibility and not necessarily a job.  Now, I realize there are always elements of every job that or not desirable, but the overall aspect or the big picture is what I am referring to.   Tate Publishing staff are focused on the big picture or changing the world, serving our authors and artist and delivering the best products and services possible to the industries we do business in.  

Third, we hire candidates that are eager to change.  One of the best things about Tate Publishing is that we are constantly changing, we are always looking for new services or products to release and have been able to lead the industry because of our commitment to change,evolve, grow and constantly get better.  Our staff are encouraged to always view change or even problems as opportunities to serve, develop character and find better ways of doing things.  

I am so proud of everyone who works at Tate Publishing and Tate Music Group and any author or artist will know that you are working with a special group of people the second you do business with us.  People are what make the difference and people are the reason we are so successful.

This is how we truly distinguish ourselves or a job candidate as the best verses the rest!

Have a blessed day and remember to send any questions you may have my way!

Ryan Tate

Tate Publishing Book Royalties

Once again it is royalty time at Tate Publishing.  This is the month that the 2008 4th quarter royalty checks are mailed out and our authors and staff have done it again.  We have for the third consecutive quarter set new records and all time highs for royalties at Tate Publishing.  

As an author knows, true success is only possible with a great partnership between the author and publisher.  The problem with self-publishing is that you get no marketing or distribution (you might get listed on a site but that is not distribution) and the problem with most traditional publishers is that you get no control and royalty percentages are too low to show any profits.  Tate Publishing is unique, we are a publishing house that was born to serve authors and create the best opportunity for an author's success.  I am so proud that we have been able to accomplish this task and now lead the industry in products, services and many of the top sales indicators.  

The success is a direct result of our talented staff and incredible authors that are driven to succeed.  The very fact that we are once again showing higher sales than ever before, even in these tough economic times our country is facing proves how important the publisher and author partnership is to be able to succeed in this industry.

Once again, congratulations to everyone and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to let me know.

God Bless,

Ryan Tate

Tate Publishing Services Second To None

Good afternoon and I trust the new year has already started off great for everyone.  In my last post I described and announced that Tate Publishing will continue to add to the services, distribution and marketing that we already offer to once again pull away from all other publishers.  We have always been driven to be the best at Tate Publishing and create the environment that gives our authors and titles the best opportunity to succeed in our highly competitive industry.  If you have followed my blog at all you already know that we lead the industry in almost every category and provide services that no other publisher does.  I want to outline one of our newest services and products and provide you with some useful information.

At the end of last year we made a commitment at Tate Publishing to start producing and releasing :30 second book trailers or commercials for releasing titles.  These book trailers are proving themselves to be extremely valuable marketing and promotional tools that are setting a Tate Published book and author apart from all others.  I was talking with our Director of Marketing, Mark Mingle last week about them and he made an interesting comment.  Mark has been receiving feedback that customers are purchasing books after watching the videos because they are able to emotionally connect with the story line before even picking up the book.  

What an amazing opportunity, we are not only streaming these trailers from our online bookstore and website, but from sites like YouTube, Myspace and Facebook.  These trailers are being played at author signings, events and even on television stations to promote our authors works.  We have seen great success and great value in the cost of production due to the increased sales volumes and awareness these video book trailers help to create.

Most of these trailers are :30 seconds long, include music, voiceovers with video and images that help tell the story of the book.  While we know you can't judge a book by its' cover, these trailers are providing potential customers with an exciting glimpse into the story to unfold on the pages and pushing them to purchase Tate titles that are sure to entertain.

Once again, I will break down another new service as often as I can, but we are very excited about the new opportunities at Tate Publishing and the video book trailers has been a great one.  As always if you have any questions please don't hesitate to let me know.

Ryan Tate

New Year Ahead At Tate Publishing

What an exciting time at Tate Publishing.  I always love this time of year because we begin a new start of driving ourselves to build upon the success of last year and the history of Tate Publishing as we continue to lead the publishing industry and provide our authors with the best possible opportunities for success with services and products that are second to none.  

If you follow my blog at all you know that we are a leader in the industry in most of the important categories used to measure a publishers success.  We are very proud of our position, but it is important to clarify that we will never become complacent or sit back and enjoy the past or present successes.  As the president of Tate Publishing I have set a clear vision for the entire staff that these are the very times we need to press onward and expand our capacities to serve our authors, vendors, and distributors.

In 2009 Tate authors will see even more services added to the services we already provide.  There is not another publisher in the industry that does more for an author than Tate and our focus to add to this experience and the opportunities is a commitment we are making to once again help ensure the opportunity for success as an author.  

Once again, thank you for the most incredible year in the history of our company in 2008 and continue to keep your eye on Tate Publishing in 2009!

God Bless and Happy New Year we are praying it is the best year in your life as well!

Ryan Tate

Tate Publishing - Best Year on Record

It is Thursday afternoon and very cold at the Tate Publishing campus in Oklahoma today.  Christmas is just around the corner and we just held our annual Tate Publishing Christmas party Tuesday night.  This was a wonderful time of celebration, but also gives me the opportunity every year to share a "State of Tate" speech that outlines the successes of our recent year and the vision we have for the upcoming year.

I was so pleased to be able to report to our staff, authors, vendors and distributors that Tate Publishing has registered the best year in our history.  While most in our industry are struggling Tate Publishing is growing.  Our authors are outselling the competition and our books are succeeding in an incredible and diverse market mix.   I wanted to share some of the amazing accomplishments we have had over the past year:

*According to our distributor - 

1.  Tate Publishing is the fastest growing publisher in the industry and has been over the past three years.*

2.  We have finished 2008 as the 15th largest publisher by sales volume and are projected to be in the top 10 in 2009.*

3.  Named one of the Best Places to Work In Oklahoma (2nd place overall in the entire state).

4.  Two-time Chamber of Commerce Business of the year with back to back top finishes in 2007 & 2008.

5.  In 2008 Tate Publishing authors and artist participated in 24,336 events.

6.  Successful launch of the new Tate Publishing music division, Tate Music Group

Perhaps the biggest success story for 2008 is the continued giving of our resources both personally and financially to ministries and other needs throughout our nation and state.  As many of you know Tate Publishing is a company that has a clear purpose.  We want to build the Kingdom of God.  By delivering authors and artists the best services, products and distribution possible we have created a successful business to give into the kingdom.  As a Tate author you can take pride in the fact that with every success you have you are helping to give to help ministries and other non-profit organizations help thousands of people each year.  In 2008, due to the success of Tate Publishing and our authors we were able to give like never before.  Here are just a few examples:

1.  Partnered with over 206 churches.

2.  Built 108 new church youth rooms.

3.  Paid for over 2,800 middle school and high school students to attend bible camp

4.  Sponsored events that 6,720 people dedicated their live to follow Christ!

5.  Provided funds for the start of two new churches that are succeeding in downtown Oklahoma City.

These are the types of opportunities that we treasure at Tate Publishing and every author and artist should rejoice in the fact that they have played a vital role in this giving.  As we close the chapter on 2008 we have a bold plan to continue growth and success and the creation of opportunities for Tate Published authors that is second to none.  

I want to thank all of you for a wonderful year and know that we pray as a staff at Tate Publishing for your success often and we are praying that 2009 will be the most successful, rewarding and blessed year of your life.  As always, contact us with any questions and have a wonderful Christmas!

Ryan Tate

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

Tate Publishing Top in Sales

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to not only eat too much, but you were able to be with family and friends. Once again I am pleased to bring you some great news about Tate Publishing. We have much to be grateful for and were just told at the end of the week last week that we are once again leading all publishers.

Last week Ingram/Spring Arbor Wholesalers, the largest wholesaler in the industry informed us that we are the fastest growing publisher by sales volume they do business with and we are currently breaking into the top ten of the highest volume selling publisher as well.

This is an incredible honor and the results of incredible effort by both Tate Publishing and our wonderful authors. A publisher should be judged by not just the quality of the product they publish, but their ability to market, promote and sell that product.

A Tate published author has always had an incredible advantage and our marketing and distribution is truly second to none. These wonderful results and honors are a blessing an continued confirmation that authors can succeed when in a partnership with Tate Publishing.

I want to once again say congratulations to the Tate Publishing staff and authors for this success. We couldn't be more excited about the future and are looking forward to an incredible 2009!!!

Great job to all,

Ryan Tate

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

Tate Publishing Author Reviews

What a week! It is Halloween at Tate Publishing and I am shocked at how creative our staff can be. Each year gets better, last year a Man Eating Ant won the contest, but this year is a whole new level. As I walk the halls there is about every super-hero you can imagine, the world's tallest man and I even saw Teen Wolf", yeah from the 80's!!! We will post some pictures of the costume winners next week and you won't want to miss them.

As we are ending the month of October I wanted to let everyone know about a new blog for Tate authors that has been launched by our authors. The website is www.tateauthors.blogspot.com and is going to be a great place for current Tate Publishing authors to chat and exchange ideas. We are so proud of our authors and the incredible accomplishments they make everyday. On a daily basis we prove how successful a publisher and author can be working together in a true partnership. I mentioned in my last post that we have had the highest quarter for royalties in our history and we expect more of the same as we continue to market and push Tate titles.

Just last week we started a new niche marketing program with our author pool to help generate even more market penetration and sales opportunities. This is sure to deliver another level of success for a Tate Published author. We love the fact that if a Tate author ever needs anything all you have to do is call. Whether it is a frustration, you want us to set up an event or present your book to a specific buyer, regardless of the request we are here. From that level of service, to our new author blogs, production and products that are second to none and the incredible success of the current Tate titles, we are looking forward to an amazing finish to 2008 and the best year ever in 2009.

As always let me know if you have any questions and thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

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

Do you really want to go with a Self-Publisher?

This is a great post from our Director of Production at Tate Publishing. He discusses POD or Print-On-Demand publishers and what you get with them. Check out his blog: Is Your Publisher "Print-On Demand?"

Print on Demand or self-publishers are very tricky to figure out. This is why we have created a situation at Tate Publishing that if your book is accepted for publication, you don't have to worry about anything. You will have the best service, production, distribution and marketing and more products to release to the marketplace than you could get from anywhere else. I personally hate how self-publishers will tell you that you can publish a book for next to nothing!!! Then when you decide you want layout, cover design, editing, and marketing you realize that this "you can publish for nothing" publisher has turned into a $10,000 dollar expense. In addition, please don't ever publish a book without professional assistance, it is the only way to guarantee your product can even have a chance.

This time last year several of my executive staff and I visited a large self-publisher in North Carolina, LULU Press, I was shocked to see that they don't even have one editor on staff. Now, they claim to be a do-it-yourself publisher, but editors should just be part of a publishers core staff.

Tate Publishing offers the best in the industry and we would never leave our authors to go it alone, it just isn't right. Here is my post about why Tate is so different! Finally, we would never offer a choose your package style of publishing, an author should not have to decide what they need, an author should have confidence that their publisher will take care of them and their book will be beautiful in the end and be supported from beginning to bookstore! That is our desire and that is the environment we have created. Tate Publishing has the highest sales volumes out of any publisher because of our selectivity and the professionalism behind the finished product. I thank God everyday that we have such great authors in our family. Once again, check out Dave's post, I think you will like it!

Ryan Tate

What does distribution for your book really mean?

This is one of the questions that our acquisitions team is asked the most.  It is also probably the most misunderstood question for first-time authors.  

First, understand that most self-publishing companies will claim that they have bookstore distribution.   The truth is that these companies only list their products with a retailer or distributor.  You will not find the titles in a store, only titles listed in a database that if you pay for it they will have a book printed and shipped off.  In most cases self-publishers even use print on demand companies or print on demand distributors like Lightning Source to print a book as it is ordered, the products are never warehoused.  

Second, self-publishers don't offer returnable product.  For a bookstore to stock titles or a distributor to inventory a book for sale and availability the books or products must be returnable.  This simply means that if the books don't sell they can be returned to the publisher at no cost to the distributor or bookstore.  Self-published authors and their books are not returnable and are not able to compete in a retail environment.  

Third, self-publishers don't pay for books sold or put into distribution.  When a publisher is actually trying to sale product in bookstores they must have product inventoried and warehoused.  This is a huge risk and very costly because if you're are putting books into stores or retailers and distributors warehouses you must be prepared to accept the product that doesn't sell as a return.  This means that you could lose a lot of money if a title doesn't sell well and that is bad business.  At Tate Publishing we just recently had a book titled, "From Pulling Weeds to Picking Stocks" that went to number one on Amazon.com.  It is also being watched for the New York Times Bestsellers list and has had purchase orders from stores like Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books A Million and wholesalers and distributors like Ingram and Spring Arbor for over 30,000 copies in the first 6 weeks of the release.  A self-published author would have to pay 10's of thousands of dollars to simply print this many books and then assume the risk that the product won't sell out and have the returns come right back to you.  This is not a risk any author should have to take, that is a risk your publisher should take.

At Tate Publishing our authors books are set up for distribution as a traditional publishing house and product is 100% returnable, product is warehoused (not simply listed in a database) and all product sold into distribution is paid for by Tate Publishing, not the author.  In addition, Tate Publishing works with and provides product to every major distributor and retailer, but we also have direct relationships with the largest retailers in the country which means we provide product directly to them for in store sales.  Check out our events page to see our distribution and event strengths.

Once again, as you are searching for options and trying to learn this industry make sure you ask your publisher or potential publisher these questions about their distribution system.  If all of these elements aren't in place you cannot compete against the traditional publishers or expect to have great success from a retail standpoint.  

As always, please send any of your questions or additional topics you would like me to discuss, I would love to help answer them for you.  

Ryan Tate

President, Tate Publishing

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