Writer Beware

If you thought that Judge Denny Chin’s denial of the Google Book Settlement last March was the end of that story, you were wrong.

When publishing relationships go bad, the writing was often on the wall long before the author signed on the dotted line.

Fellow authors, do you have a loved one who was a writer too, but sadly passed over into the Great Beyond with their poems or prose unpublished?

Before approaching people to review a book, you really ought to a) make sure they’re actively reviewing; b) determine that they review books in the genre you’re pitching, and c) spend a little time researching the venue you’re asking them to review in, to be sure it’s appropriate (not to mention, that it really is book review venue).

However, to my mind at least, the conflicts that arise when agencies begin publishing clients’ previously unpublished works are even more concerning. If an agency can publish a client’s book itself, will it try as hard to market the book to traditional publishers?

Consult legal counsel about your situation, and your options for taking legal action. This is where the issue of breach becomes relevant. A publisher may ignore an author’s personal claims of breach, but may pay more attention if an attorney is involved.

I’ve tried a variety of strategies to keep myself on track (simple willpower, unfortunately, isn’t enough). I concentrate on email, blogging, etc. in the morning, and reserve the afternoon and evening for working on my fiction.

It’s no wonder that the Internet is bursting with promotional services, marketing companies, publicity gurus, and book promotion self-help advice from authors who’ve been there, done that.

Every time I bemoan Writer Beware’s overpacked file drawers, and wonder whether I should get rid of files for agents and publishers that have gone out of business (or at least consign them to the basement), I’m reminded of why it’s important to keep that old information handy.

Publishers that pay on net profit often pay higher royalty percentages than average, and if the percentage is large enough–50% or more–it may offset the deductions. But be sure you know exactly what those deductions are.