Okay, I'm venting again! Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
PUBLISHER'S DON'T WANT CLUELESS WRITERS! WE DON'T! WE DON'T! WE DON'T!
Okay, I know that seems harsh but read on and learn:
"Good morning, ZLS Publishing how can I help you?"
"Yeah, my name is John Jane and I just wrote a book that will sell millions!"
"Really! I like the sound of that, what's the name of your book?"
"Life"
"Whose life?"
"My life of course but in a fictional type of way."
"And you believe that a fictional book about your life is going to sell millions?"
"Hell yeah! Not only will it sell millions but it'll put both ZLS and myself on the map!"
"And you think we need to be on the map?"
"Yup"
"Okay, John Jane what do you want me to do for you?"
"Write me a check right now!"
"You think it's that simple?"
"Of course! You write me a check, you publish my books, we make millions, it's just that simple"
"Sorry, it doesn't work like that"
"Of course it does"
"Is there anything else I can do for you John Jane?"
"No, that's it"
"Well, you have a great day!"
"Wait, can I send you my book so you can publish it?"
"If you say so"
"Great, it's going in the mail now!"
"Goodbye"
_______________________
Funny? I think not!
If you only knew how many phone calls, emails, and snail mail packages we receive throughout the day from writer's claiming they've written a best seller and thinking that publishing a book is as simple as ordering a fast food meal. Nothing annoys us and other publisher's more than to get calls, emails, and snail mail from wanna-be authors who have no clue as to the process that goes into a publishing book.
There is so much wrong with this conversation but if I give it away I wouldn't be in business, so we'll just stick to
Problem #1-The evident cluelessness as to how a book is published!
Secret #1-They are not going to tell you they don't want anything to do with you or your book because you don't know the industry"
Secret #2-They will not read your manuscript which is not a book until it is published but instead throw it in the garbage. (Another secret for later)
Secret #3-How clueless you are to the publishing process is evident in the first 7 seconds of a phone call, email, or piece of snail mail received!
Get a clue wanna-be authors!
Go to the library, get on the Internet, buy a book, just do something to educate yourself on the book publishing process!
Personally, I don't see how you don't do it! Would you go to an interview not having studied the company? If you don't study the company, the likelihood of you getting a job is slim to none. It is the same rule of thumb for the publishing industry: You don't study the industry, the likelihood of your book being published is slim to none!
I told you that I am harsh and the truth will hurt: Cluelessness equals incompetence! Incompetence signifies difficult!
No Publisher wants Cluelessness, Incompetence, or Difficulties!
THEY WILL NOT BOTHER AND WILL GO WITH AN AUTHOR WHO KNOWS THE INDUSTRY!
Knowledgeable equals smart! Smart equals easier! Every Publisher wants a knowledgeable person who is smart and easy to deal with.
See the difference between you two!
So, lets recap-Publisher's don't want to deal with clueless people! Study the industry and don't contact any publisher until the next blog!
Kisses Writer's!
Lady Z
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Comments: 69 ( 12 removed by ZlS Publishing )
Though I am an author by trade, I did work in the publishing industry as a magazine editor. I cannot tell you how many times I received ms. with strange letters, handwritten manuscripts, book ms or wrong genres (I published horror stories only)...I have seen it, read it and thank goodness never heard it.
As a 'wannabe' I have no sympathy for you. In fact I am insulted by your rant. I assume you meant your description of a phone call to be a parody. But it is an insulting one. There are many working writers, like me, who are not clueless, who work for years producing decent work and then spend years more trying to interest agents who try to interest publishers.
As a publisher, you are the one in power in this relationship. Sure you have to deal with annoying clueless people. I'd like to know, though, how much time this really takes you. Not nearly as much time as I spend writing query letters I'll bet.
You want writers to study the industry, but you don't help. I've been to your web site. It is useless to me as a writer. Do you accept queries from writers? If so, what do you require? Are you a POD publisher? Do you ask writers for payment when you publish? You don't make any of this clear.
As a publisher, from my point of view as a professional writer, you are clueless. You resemble many of what I think of as wannabe publishers, which may be true since your web site only shows two books on your book list.
I recommend that you study your industry. And try not to insult working professionals with your next rant. It wasn't funny.
How many great manuscripts have you tossed on this basis? And given the quality of what gets published these days, how many have you accepted?
Sarah,
Strictly speaking, you're right. Somebody not knowing about how the publishing industry works is not an indication of how well they write, but the likeihood is higher if they do. If they know the ropes it's a good indication that it isn't the first manuscript they write or that they have been published before. It could also mean they just did their homework and they are in fact inexperienced, but nevertheless, it's still an indication of smarts. In any event, fair or not, I suspect that's how the publishing industry works and I thank ZIS for sharing this valuable info.
Kisses Writer's what?
1. ". . . if I give it away I wouldn't. . ." This should either be "if I give it away I won't . . ." or if I gave it away, I wouldn't. . ."
2. You need some kind of punctuation (preferably a dash or colon) to end the phrase "we'll just stick to" that introduces your "problem" and "secrets."
3. You only list one "problem." If you don't have a #2, you can't have a #1. It should just be called "problem."
4. Your list of secrets needs parallel construction. The last secret violates the pattern.
That's just a few. Based on this, I wouldn't trust ZLS to edit my book.
We all slip some times. This is an informal setting, after all. For one, your motto says, "gather's only god, proud to be from gay-supporting Massachusetts". Aren't Gather and God supposed to be capitalized.
I was venting and when one vents they don't take the time to read over the grammatics. It was the point that I was trying to make. You can get mad all you want, no wonder you aren't published.
Not to be abrasive, I mean it in a nice way: Is it grammatics or grammar? Is grammatics a word?
Why of course, it's "grammatic" as in "grammatic structure". I've heard it many a times.
As for my website being useless to you as a writer. I'm not taking manuscripts right now as we have enough writers signed to us at the moment and have enough books coming out at the moment. All of what you have asked is not going to be clear at the moment because we are not taking writer's at the moment. When we do all those questions will become clear. See, that is why you need to study the industry because then you would realize that every publisher is different and has different requirements and when they are ready for those requirements to be made available they make them.
Not editing your own words and pieces seems a little clueless to me. Then again, I'm not the Professional Publisher.
Oh, the irony!
I am published. My book, "Wordplay," was published by Meadowbrook press and earned out its advance. My journalism clips fill a couple of file drawers - articles in such newspapers as the LA Times and the Boston Globe and magazines such as Yankee, and Ranger Rick.
I have not published my novels, but if you really do know the industry you know that the market for fiction is much smaller than the publishable fiction that's written. I can't say that my novels are publishable, of course. I've had some encouraging responses from agents, but that's not a sale. I know that it may be the quality of my work that keeps me from publication, so I continually edit and work on my craft.
But I also know (and you should too) that simply not being published does not necessarily mean the work is not worth publishing - at least when we're talking about fiction.
I certainly don't approach agents as an angry supplicant. I treat them with professional respect.
And I don't ask you to feel sorry for me. I ask you to respect me. You're a minority owned business, I assume you know something about that need.
I seriously hope you're successful in your publishing endeavor. Writers need more publishers. But I would ask you, respectfully, to at least moderate your tone when you generalize about 'wannabe' writers. I'd like it also if you cut that term from your vocabulary.
You can call my tone arrogant but so was the writer who called my company. If anything, their tone was arrogant. This is sadly the case with most looking to be published. They think they have written a bestseller (they might have) and they approach the publisher cocky. The sad thing is that they don't realize they are doing it. A publisher is not going to tell them they are doing something wrong! They just aren't! That is a fact that most don't want to hear but it is what it is.
You have said that you have been published-Great! That tells me that you have done quite a few things right and for that I applaud you.
ZLS is full of herself for her self-righteous venting, so is Real Paid Lawyer for throwing his weight around, so is Thiesen who thinks he's God, so am I. We're all writers, or aspiring writers, with egoes. Spell check, please. tomato, tomatoes, ego, egoes?
Honestly, you haven't stuck any of my nerves (unless that makes you feel better about this exchange or something and, then -- Mazel Tov. Whatever gets you through the night.)
I will tell you that portraying yourself as though you hold the only key to the executive washroom and you'll only share with those you deem "worthy," is counter-productive to fostering and nurturing talent, in my opinion. As I stated, I worked with people who realized we were all in a win-win situation -- we'd all stand to make a few bucks at the end of the day.
But, you are ZlS Publisher and you have every right to conduct yourself in any way you see fit; I'm cognizant of that. I just don't agree with insulting others' ambitions. The "advice" you've given here boils down to, "Study the publishing industry." In your position, it seems to me that you could "afford" to dole out a few other "industry secrets" without compromising yourself or your future successes.
As for "compromising myself" and my "future successes" I highly doubt that I am doing that and especially on this post. I have gotten friend request and private messages thanking me for this post. Also, considering the fact that this hasn't been viewed hundreds and hundreds of times I am not particularly worried.
The fact is that the truth hurts. You may not like what I said or how I said it but the truth is the truth. If it doesn't apply then you can let it fly. You may not have done what this writer has done but there are many who do.
It is what it is!
If you've been published-Congrats!
If you haven't, you have an attitude, you don't like what I have to say-Whatever! This is Gather, I can post anything I want, the way I want-It's my post!
Get over it!
Object as in 1st ammendment rights? Come on now! This forum is entitled to its rules. You must not have too many cases to be wasting your time on this. So, what are you going to do about it, sue. Ridiculous.
I'm all for a good healthy debate but when I feel the comments draw a certain line they will be deleted.
Objection Overruled!
Exception? You are so full of yourself counselor. How professional a lawyer can you be if you have to call yourself a "real paid lawyer". Are we supposed to be impressed, afraid? My brother is a partner in one of the top 10 law firms in California. He wouldn't waste his time with something like that. He doesn't feel a need to throw his weight around either.
And if I were you, I wouldn't be satisfied. Not by a long shot.
I don't care if you delete comments or not, but you'll come off as a little less, "WTF?!" if you don't address them, too.
As for "Pack Mentality" you said it!
As for "Cliques" you said it!
Why are you mad because I called them out-You must be part of the clique and the packed mentality.
What I had to say is only ridiculous to you because it is the truth. You cannot handle the truth! You can be as mad as you want, scream on here as loud as you want, I don't care. The truth is the truth!
As my mother always use to say-"The truth hurts!" I can tell by your rants and raves that she was correct.
Keep ranting-I love it!
Well, it's not. My mother is deceased and has been for the last 11 years so as far as anything failing about her the only thing that failed was her health.
As for being a humorist-Where did you get the idea that I was being funny. I am dead ass serious about my rant. You sound angry! Are you angry? Oh darn, you're angry!
Oh well!
Pay Attention!
So do you have a list? Who have you published? What books?
.....rambling is to let you know that this page is our Book List and Review Page!
Here's where you'll find me rambling off about both good books and bad that we have read over here! If it's good, you'll know, if it's bad you'll know that too! Ya'll should know by now that I don't bite my tongue or sugar coat it!
You'll also get to read excerpts from our upcoming titles! Although, I might post those in the blogs too!
Lady Z
We are in the process of redoing our site and since you find it confusing other people may find it equally as confusing. We will change it!
Thanks!
I don't think people should have to pay attention with all the phone menus, tutorials, websites, etc. they have to deal with. It's as much the communicator's responsability to be easily understood as it is the person receiving the information to "pay attention". So, with all due respect, I do think that even something is "all there in black and white", sometimes things are arranged in such a way as to cause confusion.
Is this really the way you want to portray your company's image? The approach to your profession that you convey in this rant not only reads as unprofessional, it comes off as petty and immature.
Surely you are aware that a quick Google search of your company's name links to this article. Aren't you? On the first page alone of a Google search, I found 4 links to this article, some cached and still others linking to groups to which you published. All comments, even those you deleted, still appear in the group spaces.
But surely you know this already. A professional such as yourself would certainly not be so careless as to publish your rants willy-nilly across the interwebs, under your company's name, without researching the impact of such a post.
Anyway, I say all of that to say this-I will post my author bios, books, etc in another post.
Thank you!
sheesh! The inflated egos, righteous indignation
would definitely give me indigestion.
(Smiles)
I'm an author, and I can sympathize; it is hard to get publishers to listen to you.
But you people had best wake up, ZIS is right; if someone approaches a publisher in a way similar to the one described, they will be labeled non-professional, and dismissed.
Any publisher will do this, and this is not the only article I've have read warning against this type of approach.
To the ranting authors, I have news for you: publishers are not in the business to coddle your feelings; they're in it to do business and make money (I don't mean this as an insult, ZIS, just pointing out reality). If you you want to get published traditionally, thicken the skin and swallow the rejection, and BE professional. Otherwise think about pursuing the other publishing options (such as self-publishing) that are available for authors these days.
There is still a way to see and read the deleted comments, you know.......?
Of course, the comment above is not a pan so it has not been deleted in spite of your warning: *All comments from this point on are being deleted. Post at your own risk!*
Have a lovely day!