Archive for category Writing

Interview Up

Jan 25

Posted by njlindquist in Writing, the business of writing | No Comments

There's an interview with Patricia Paddey posted at the Write! Canada site this morning. Patricia interviewed Wendy Nelles and me, as directors of Write! Canada, about our long association with the conference and our vision for the future. 

Ironically, Wendy and I both attended the conference for the first time in 1988, and we were both on the planning committee for many years. But we really didn't know each other at all until we started trying to save the conference in 2001. We've worked very closely since then, in almost daily communications.

The interview

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Watch me on “It’s a New Day”

Dec 10

Posted by njlindquist in Canadian Christian publishing | No Comments

N. J. LindquistIf you missed me on the television program "It's a New Day," that was aired on Tuesday, December 15th, you can still watch online.

Among other things, I talked about our vision for Hot Apple Cider and the need for support Canadian writers, and did my best to  get people thinking about what it means to have a Canadian culture.
 
Watch online

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Aboriginal authors – the awakening giant

Nov 25

Posted by njlindquist in Canadian Christian publishing | No Comments

professional photo for web pages

I asked M. D. (Dorene) Meyer to write a guest blog on an area of writing that is very close to her heart, but not exactly in the mainstream of writing.

As we look at changing the way publishing industry works, and in particular Canadian Christian publishing, we need to think of the many groups whose voice in not being heard as easily as it should be.

Dorene is the award-winning author of a series of books set in a fictional First Nations community. Her books touch on such issues as recovery from child sexual abuse, residential school syndrome and recovery from alcohol abuse. With published credits that also encompass journalism, poetry and playwriting, Dorene teaches workshops and classes for aspiring writers in all genres. She lives in Norway House, northern Manitoba.

Her titles include The Little Ones, Deep Waters, Pilot Error, Get Lost!, Colin’s Choice, Meet Manitoba's Children's Authors, Northern Writers Volume 1, Squirrel Tales and Rabbit Trails, and The Voice Behind the Mask

www.dorenemeyer.com

www.goldrockpress.com

 

The Aboriginal writing community has, in the past, been a relatively small and unknown element in the Canadian publishing industry.

When I was a young kid in school (many moons ago!), there was no Aboriginal literature available at all. The Native kids that I knew were well-known for their beautiful artwork but were always poor in English and writing skills. No surprise, really, since English was a second language to them. In those years, I suppose what was assumed by most was that the Aboriginal people had no great stories to tell and no great story-tellers to tell them. How far from the truth that was!

The early pioneers of Canadian Aboriginal literature, Emma LaRocque (Defeathering the Indian, 1975), Basil Johnston (Ojibway Heritage, 1976) and Beatrice Mosionier (April Raintree, 1983) faced and overcame many challenges. Today, they are joined by a wealth of writers including humourist Drew Hayden Taylor; journalist Colleen Simard; poet Marilyn Dumont; and young adult author Jennifer Storm. No longer limited to legends and “protest literature," Aboriginal writings are winning major literary awards for their excellence in such varied fields as critical text, gothic novels, humour and children’s literature (to name but a few).

NorthernWritersStill, many challenges remain. I recently had a publisher turn down an excellent manuscript (he agreed it was excellent) because it was written in the Cree language. Another manuscript was turned down because the story premise wouldn't be acceptable in the mainstream market. When I talked to the author, she said it was Native humour. I agreed with her. It was something that a lot of people in the Aboriginal community would think funny but perhaps most other Canadians would not understand. I'm sure this is not a problem unique to the Aboriginal community. Certainly, regional differences exist in this huge country of ours. And I'm sure there are other cultural groups in Canada that experience a similar lack of understanding and acceptance.

As Canadian Christian writers, we face enormous challenges – getting Canadian books into Christian bookstores, getting Christian books into mainstream bookstores, and so on. Canadian Aboriginal writers face similar obstacles. Their books should not be relegated to “Aboriginal collections” in select University libraries. We should be seeing this incredible wealth of literature represented in all of our bookstores, libraries and schools. The Aboriginal writing community is growing and getting stronger every day (April Raintree annually sells over 6,000 copies worldwide). It is we ourselves who will be missing out if we don't open our eyes to this “awakening giant.”

Joining the growing number of Canadian Aboriginal writers is a much smaller group of Christian Canadian Aboriginal Squirrel Tales and Rabbit Trailswriters. And yes, there is an added challenge for them. Their writing is typically not “mainstream.” Often the books are set in the far north (Churchill north; not Sault Ste Marie north!) where many Canadians have never traveled. Their plots, characters and dialogue may be more reflective of Aboriginal, rather than the mainstream, culture. But the Lord we serve is the same. Biblical principles cross time zones, latitudes and cultures.

A pioneer in Native Christian writing was a woman from the USA named Crying Wind. Her self-titled book, Crying Wind, crossed the cultural barriers into the Christian mainstream in 1977. Her publisher, Harvest House, released her second book, My Searching Heart in 1979. More recently, Crying Wind has authored: When the Stars Danced and Thunder in Our Hearts, Lightning in Our Veins – both excellent titles available from www.indianlife.org.

Today, many more fine Christian Aboriginal authors are joining her ranks, and some of these are Canadian. Howard Jolly’s book, Hope for the Hurting, has become an important resource for parents, teachers and pastors who are counseling teens who have experienced childhood sexual abuse. Free-lance journalists Brenda Fontaine and Brenlee Longclaws bring a Christian, Canadian, Aboriginal perspective to the articles they write. Children’s book authors Flora Rideout and Brenda Fontaine are paving the way for a new generation as budding authors such as Corrine Clyne begin their writing journey.

Although not Aboriginal, the books that I write as M. D. Meyer are all set in a fictional First Nations community and written from a Christian (and Canadian) perspective. The challenges for me are obvious. My books don’t fit into Christian mainstream because they are set in a First Nations community, but I’m embarrassed to see them in the Aboriginal authors section of a bookstore because that’s not where they belong either. Why I have chosen this rather difficult path would take too long to tell so is better left for another day.

What I would like to leave you with is a challenge – a challenge for us all – to open our hearts and minds – to read some books that might be a bit outside of our usual range – a bit outside of our comfort zone. Get acquainted with some Aboriginal authors. I believe that as Canadians and as Christian writers, editors, booksellers and book buyers, we need to get on board and support our fellow Canadian writers in the Aboriginal community. It is our responsibility – and it is our privilege!

M. D. (Dorene) Meyer

www.dorenemeyer.com

www.goldrockpress.com

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Getting a book published is getting trickier by the minute

Nov 24

Posted by njlindquist in Publishing, self-publishing, the business of writing | No Comments

Over the last few years, I've become very concerned about the rush to get books published by any means whatsoever – often vanity, of course. Many people are self-publishing, and it's becoming a huge business. Most are vanity published (they pay a company to publish them); others are what I call independent publishers, meaning they own the ISBN, hire layout people and editors, etc. etc. Along with others, I've done my best to educate people, but it's rough going.

A few weeks ago, I was horrified when Thomas Nelson created an imprint which is to be connected to Author Solutions, a company that owns a number of vanity presses. Now Harlequin has followed suit. All I can say is Author Solutions must have an amazing sales team to convince these two large publishing houses to add vanity publishing to their list of products.

Other people have had lots to say about this. A few are:

Dear Author

Writer Beware Blogs

How Publishing Really Works

What concerns me even more than the growing popularity of vanity publishing is the question of why authors are so willing to send their money to vanity publishers in the first place.

I think there are three key factors that need to be addressed.

1. Many people have simply given up on ever getting published by the traditional publishing industry. It's a bit of a maze – way too hard to make inroads and get known. How do you get a publisher? How do you get an agent? It's a crazy, who- do-you-know merry-go-round. Canadian authors who are Christian particularly feel lost.

2. We live in an instant society. Getting a book published in traditional ways can take years. A vanity press can get you a book in two or three months. I have seen several books that could have been spectacular with the right editing and so forth. Instead, they were delivered to a vanity mill and came out pretty well "as is." The author will likely never know what might have been. The primary concern was "I want it now."

3. I think Christian writers are particularly willing to self-publish because they're doing this more as a ministry than a business venture, and therefore are willing to ignore the big picture, set aside the business model, and hope that God will make it all work out somehow. Unfortunately, they are likely to wind up with a bunch of books they can't sell and a feeling of failure.

Don't get me wrong. i have no problem with independent publishing, where you know what you're doing and have a marketing plan, and you own the ISBN and you hire editors, printers, etc. Or even people who pay for their book to be manufactured after they look at all aspects. My problem is with companies who make it sound as if you are being published by a royalty paying publisher when in fact it is you, the author, paying for everything and not realizing until they have the product in hand that it isn't good enough, is too expensive, and isn't going to get into bookstore.

The publishing industry is currently in the midst of a huge upheaval. I don't know what the ultimate answers are. As an author myself, I don't even feel I know what to do next myself. Or if I even want to keep writing. What good is writing as a ministry if no one is reading what yo write? I feel very frustrated. It's all murky and kind of dismal.

But one thing I do believe, and that is that it's time the intelligent, dedicated, growing authors stop simply following the system and start working together to create a new system.

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Why Don’t I Just Quit Writing?

Nov 9

Posted by njlindquist in the business of writing | 1 Comment

This is a guest blog by Violet Nesdoly, a freelance writer from BC whose special interests are writing non-fiction, fiction, activities, and poetry for Children, and writing articles, devotionals, and poetry for adults. I have to say i totally relate to Violet’s feelings and believe many other writers will too. It’s also why I feel we need to work together to develop a new model for publishing.

violetNo one has to tell writers that they’re up against some pretty big obstacles these days. The latest Tsunami to hit the writing/publishing world was the news last week that some online bookstores (Amazon.com, Wal-Mart.com, Target.com) are wrestling each other down on book prices. One announces a price of no higher than 9.99. Another answers back they’ll do better at 8.99. Publishers and agents are predictably in a dither and asking whither. 

As a very small writer fish in this increasingly red-ink ocean, that is only the last in a series of discouragements that include: 
  • Stiff competition for publication. The internet has outed millions of writers and made them mad for publication. (Go to any agent’s blog and take a peek at the number of followers – if they’re listed. For example: Rachelle Gardner – 1364; Nathan Bransford – 2431; Pub Rants - 1358. There are a lot of eager, hungry writers  out there.)
  • The need for writers to not only be able to write, but to build a platform, market, speak, network, twitter, facebook, yada, yada.
  • Add to that, personal pressure from realistic family members who see the bottom line and rub one’s face in the fact that this writing gig has really only turned out to be an expensive hobby.
It all adds up to (yikes, I never thought I’d hear myself say it) a temptation to quit.
 
I found my  thoughts articulated rather eloquently the other day when I was reading Nathan Bransford’s blog:
 
    "In last week’s discussion about writers and sensitivity, Gordon Pamplona left a comment that stuck with me:
 
    ’…a lot of times the sensitivity about the writing is a stand-in for sensitivity about something else: you spent so much time chasing this pipe dream that you lose your job, your marriage, your kids; your kids don’t respect you because you didn’t write Harry Potter or Twilight; you charged a lot of money on the credit card for conferences and classes with no tangible results, and now the family is eating beans and rice. For many of us, writing is an addiction, no different from alcohol or drugs or gambling. And maybe people who are angry, bitter, stressed out, or despondent should take a hard look at whether this is something they should be doing–if it’s gone from a hobby to something that’s ruining their lives and their relationships with others.’Picture 1
 
    As a society, we often celebrate tortured and struggling artists who finally make it big despite their obstacles, and yet we don’t often examine the flip side of this, which is that the vast majority of tortured and struggling artists don’t actually make it. We tend to encourage everyone to write (Person 1 tells an interesting story, Person 2 says ‘Wow, you should write a book about that’), and there are very few people out there willing to tell any writer they don’t have what it takes and should probably try pursuing something else with their time. I’m guilty of this as well – who am I to say whether or not someone will or won’t be published?
 
    But is this the right approach? Is writing, especially when the odds are long and the cost to a personal life is high, sometimes akin to addiction? When does it cross the line from hobby to ‘habit?’ And should we be encouraging everyone to write?" (from "Tell me, when is writing unhealthy?") 
 
I ruminated on that for a while – and then the thought occurred: I didn’t have the luxury of just deciding to quit. Though I must never ignore the need for balance, outright quitting is a decision that’s not mine to make. Because the reason I find myself here hasn’t changed from what got me here in the first place. Jesus’ teaching on the stewardship of our gifts (as expressed in His story from Luke 19) hasn’t been torn out of the Bible.
 
If I quit simply for the reasons above, I would be like  the one-mina servant coming to the master full of stuttered excuses. "Here is the thing you gave me — this love for words and communication, idea and story, which I have invested for a while, but which I have put back in my handkerchief because… because I’ve only written short pieces and not had any success with books, and because I wasn’t good at marketing or establishing a platform, and because the competition for publication was fierce, and because there were so many five- and ten-mina voices out there, I just knew mine wasn’t necessary…"
 
And He will say to me, "Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant… For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
 
Thus there will be only one thing that can get me to quit — Orders from Headquarters. Otherwise I’ll be here, sowing my words, hopefully for a little profit but not above sometimes giving them away for free because that’s my way of obeying my Master till He gives me another assignment or puts a different talent in my hand to invest.
 
Personal blog promptings
Writerly blog Line upon line
Kids’ daily devotions Bible Drive-Thru
 
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As publishing changes…what can writers do?

Nov 3

Posted by njlindquist in Publishing, the business of writing | 1 Comment

D. S. Martin & Peter Kazmaier & Mary Ann Moran at Michael's Family Bookstore's Tent Sale in Pickering Writers—especially those who aspire to write books—are currently being told on all sides that the publishing industry is undergoing a massive change. That they need to take control of their destinies. That publishers today expect them to sell up to 65% of the print run of their books. That it's only going to get worse.

As if it wasn't already difficult enough for us poor struggling writers who mostly just want to know that someone out there somewhere enjoys or benefits from our words!

I've watched enough CSI to know what it's like to be buried alive, and I feel somewhat like that. Terrified. Gasping for air. Hoping for someone to save me, but not sure there's any reasonable hope. Wondering if the joy of writing, and the delight of being read, are anywhere near worth the agony of trying to be published.

I made a list of key things the typical aspiring author needs to do these days. I may be missing a few.

1. Be aware of all of the market trends (current topics, genres that are popular, etc.)

2. Know where to market your work (which agents and publishers are looking for what)

3. Stay current on new ways to publish (should you give away your internet rights… look for a publisher who does ebooks, decide whether to go with one who does POD, go along with the Google settlement or not…)

4. Read the work of others writing in your genre or niche and be able to tell your agent or publisher how your work compares to theirs

5. Write several books each year that are not only unique and current, but also so well-written that they will barely need any editing by the publisher

6. Create a “platform” by becoming known as an expert in your area of choice by writing articles or short stories for magazines, blogging, appearing on radio and TV programs, speaking to groups all over North America, actively appearing on the internet in relevant or popular social media sites, and doing everything else you possibly can to ensure that when your book actually comes out, it will sell lots and lots of copies.confused

What do I think of these expectations? Well, let's just go with "unrealistic."

I see four primary issues:

1. Psychology. The majority of the authors I know (and I know a LOT of authors) are the very last people you’d want to hire to do publicity. Sure, there are exceptions, but a whole lot of them are sensitive, shy, introspective introverts. Being with people for a long period of time exhausts them. Talking about themselves and their writing terrifies them. “Selling” themselves or their books embarrasses them. Yes, they believe in what they do. And they think their work is good. But…they don’t want to have to tell other people it’s good. They need other people to tell them! They thrive on being told that someone wants to read their work.

I've been at mystery conventions and other conferences where there were authors in the washroom literally throwing up out of nervousness because they had to be on a panel in a few minutes. A panel whose goal was to help them become better known to readers who wanted to know about them. Not a difficult venue.

2. Finances. Most writers barely make any money at all. What's the average? $5,000 a year or something? Which means they either have an inheritance, a spouse with a real job, or another job themselves. Even in the best case, assuming you're an author who is able to focus on writing without having to starve—where do you find the money to do all the marketing things you're supposed to do? Do you know what an ad costs in a magazine? What a really good website designer charges? The cost of traveling to do booksignings or attend conventions around the country? Sure, you can do things on the cheap, and hire your second cousin's son to do your website, or do it yourself, but then the quality may not be there, and the truth still is that you usually get what you pay for.

3. Time. If you want to write well, you have to focus on writing. And rewriting. And reading. And thinking. And writing some more. You can’t write well if your mind is spinning with all the other things you “should" be doing, like tweeting and posting on all the social media sites and keping your website up-to-date and writing blogs and reading other people’s blogs so you can write comments so someone else will see your comment and check our your blog….

Unless you're writing something that meshes with the blogging and tweeting, doing all those things is going to make it ten times harder for you to write—especially if you’re writing something like a novel or a complex nonfiction book.

Plus you likely have other responsibilities, such as a family, parents, friends, etc. There simply aren’t enough hours in the week to do everything that authors are currently being expected to do. It defies logic.

4. Skillset. Not one of us has all of the skills that are needed to write, market and publicize a book. Sure, most of us can do a little bit here and thee. But no one will ever do everything well. Or, if we force ourselves to work at getting good at it all, the chances are very good that we’ll become so exhausted we’ll simply burn out. Writers need to understand that this is a business, yes. But trying to be a one-man or one-woman business isn't going to make you successful. And the bottom line is that in order to do quality work, writers need to be able to focus on writing.

questionmark

So where do we go next?

As the publishing industry goes through major changes (see earlier posts here), I believe writers need to work together to take on the responsibility of forging new paths for themselves. I don't think the answer lies in trying to duplicate the past by becoming one-person publishing machines. But nor do I believe writers can afford to be as naive and dependent as many have been in the past—taking whatever contract is offered and being thankful just to get our work in print. Instead, I believe we need to seek out a new model that will help us all achieve our primary goal: to write something worthwhile that will be enjoyed by or benefit other people.

It's a new day. Let's talk to one other and throw out ideas and then work together to find a new model that works.
 

(Note: This blog was first posted at TWGAuthors.blogspot.com)

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Making money from books

Oct 27

Posted by njlindquist in Publishing, self-publishing | No Comments

There is money to be made from the publishing of books. But very little of that is normally made by the authors. 

Sure, you hear about the ones who sell vast numbers of books or sign contracts with huge advances. But the reason you hear about them is because they’re so rare.

So who makes the money? 

Well, I believe historically it’s been the publishers. 

You see, for the most part, they are businesses, and they tend to be run as businesses. And businesses like to make money.

In fact, we’re seeing lots of stories these days that focus around that need for money. Stories of companies paying out huge bonuses in spite of having received government aide. Arrests for insider trading by executives bent on ensuring good numbers for the stock holders.

Does this impact publishing? You bet it does. As much as writers might like to think that the overall goal of every publisher is to discover wonderful new books and make them available to the public, the actual bottom-line goal of many companies is to keep the company in business and making a profit.

If you look at what’s happening in business these days, there are way too many times when you simply have to shake your head at the short-sightedness of what goes on – until you realize it’s not about long-term success – it’s about making the numbers say the right thing for the coming quarter.

As we try to weather the storm that’s currently affecting publishing, keep in mind three things: 

1. The company has to look after its own best interests.

2. The company’s interests may or may not mesh with yours.

3. We are all responsibe for looking after our own best interests, which means acting in a businesslike manner and not believing everything we’re told.

In law they call it "due diligence." We all need to do due diligence, which basically involves hiring the right people and /or doing some investigating to make sure we know exactly what we’re getting into and how it will affect our lives. It boggles my mind how willing many writers are to simply take whatever they’re offered with very few questions.

The goal needs to be for all of us to work together to ensure that both authors and publishers are rewarded for what they contribute.

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Substantive editing – the all-too-often missing ingredient

Oct 26

Posted by njlindquist in Publishing, self-publishing | 3 Comments

As more and more books are self-published or published by companies who want the manuscript to be near-perfect when it arrives, the one thing that is less likely to happen is good editing. I'm talking about the kind of editing where someone who is an expert in the genre takes apart the manuscript and points out every single flaw and potential problem so that the author can  hone it and mold it. It's called crafting.

in my opinion, writing has four aspects: art, craft, business, and ministry.It's very easy to focus on only one of those aspects. But the really great book will have all four in balance.

  • You need the art – the concepts and nuances that make it unique.
  • You need the crafting – the refining, tine-tuning, checks and balances that make it great.
  • Then you need the business side – the marketing, distribution, and everything that ensures the book has its own place and that it reaches the people you want to reach.
  • Finally, there is the ministry, where the book leaves the reader entertained, enriched, challenged, and satisfied.

What is most likely to be missing these days – especially when the book is self-published, but even in some books that are royalty published, is the crafting. Fewer and fewer books I read have been edited as well as they might have been. And I don't simply mean making sure there aren't any mistakes in spelling or punctuation.

Many writers don't realize that editing is more than one thing.

You have concept editing. Does this idea work? Is there a need for it? How can it find a niche? 

Then there is substantive editing. This is the big picture stuff. Does the plot work? Do the ideas flow? Should there be major changes in the structure of the book? 

Only after the substantive editing (which can feel like major surgery to the author) should the copy-editing and fact-checking come in to ensure that every detail is accurate and every subtle nuance is perfected, and there is flow, and the tension builds or ideas grow into a resounding climax. 

And then there is the final proof-reading that catches every little misplaced comma and out-of-place word.

Unfortunately, as self-published authors are given total control of their work, and royalty publishers employ fewer editors, expecting the authors to send them near-perfect manuscripts, the role of the really great editor – especially the substantive editor – is gradually being phased out.

Which means the role of freelance editors becomes more and more important. But that is a difficulty in itself – how does the author know which editor will be the right one for his or her particular manuscript? What isn't needed is a "yes" editor who will basically just you what you want to hear. You want and need an expert who knows the genre you are writing in backwards and forward and can really direct and guide you – even tear apart your work so you can rebuild it from a stronger foundation.

Unfortunately, especially in Christian circles, there are too many authors who either don't want their work touched or who don't want to pay for substantive editing. The ones who want their ideas untouched apparently believe they are God-given, and refuse to even look at the possibility that the ideas themselves or the way the ideas are presented might need some more work. I think some writers feel that the editor will cloud their writing with other ideas or overshadow it with another voice. In reality, a good editor will actually make the author's ideas more substantial and his or her voice stronger.

As to paying for quality substantive editing, that's a decision each person has to make. But the old saw that you get what you pay for is frequently true.

Think about this quotation from "The Joy of Writing" by Pierre Berton, one of Canada's most successful authors. He had hired a free-lance editor to go over his book before he sent it to the publisher. But after writing the book, he felt  "My book didn't need an editor; it was perfect as it was! She'd hardly have to take a pencil to it. As a courtesy, I sent it along to her."

"Her assessment came back a week or so later in an eight-page letter, accompanied by notes throughout the manuscript."  Yes, much more work was required.

And then Berton says, "I should have been devastated, but in fact I was grateful. She had brought me up short. I had been too close to the book, and had needed an outsider's view to sober me up."

I was speaking recently with a long-time Canadian publisher who said, "The more professional the writer, the more they value the editing process, and the easier they are to work with."  

To close with Berton. "A writer can get too close to his material, so that it becomes like a brick wall blocking off the horizon. That is why editors are needed."

Whether you self-publish or look for a royalty publisher, your book will benefit greatly from quality editing by a person who knows that particular genre well, and is also adept at knowing what to look for and how to advise you to make the changes that will ramp up the quality of your book. 

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Another take on the difficulty facing publishers

Oct 23

Posted by njlindquist in Publishing, self-publishing | 2 Comments

The following quotation is from The Idea Logical Company Blog . The title of the blog this quotation is taken from is "The digital transition really IS harder for trade publishers than for other publishers."

"The Achilles heel of trade publishing has always been that publishers have to reach audiences as numerous as the books they publish and they have mostly marketed books one-by-one, book-by-book. That’s what no other branch of publishing would even attempt. Marketing effort per title is the real point of scarcity in this business — more than quality product and more than shelf space. People outside the trade don’t think about that because, frankly, it’s a problem that doesn’t occur anywhere else. But it’s in our industry’s DNA. And we’re going to have to create some unique answers."

I feel this blog makes a very important point. It’s why publishers such as Harlequin are actually thriving while others are going down. Most publishers are spreading themselves very thin when it comes to their target audience.

And the fact that each book is unique is to me the single reason why self-publishing can be successful. If you know your particular niche audience, and you have a way of reaching it, you can sell books. If you have a great product, you may even be able to sell lots of books.

Do read the complete blog I quoted from. It makes some excellent points.

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The meaning of the word “publisher” is changing

Oct 22

Posted by njlindquist in Publishing, self-publishing | 1 Comment

We were talking to someone a few weeks ago who is now retired, but who was involved in publishing books for many, many years. And he said something I thought was worth repeating. Publishing a book used to mean everything involved in getting the book from the author to the public.

In other words, the word "publish" used to mean the whole process of taking a manuscript and putting it through the editing process to make it ready to print; getting all the necessary parts together (copy copy, front cover, back cover, layout, etc.); having the marketing team position it so that stores, libraries, and other venues knew about it well in advance and placed pre-orders; and then – through sales people, distributors, and stores, getting the books into the hands of the customers.

The role of the author was primarily to produce a good manuscript and to work with the editors to make it great. Authors were then supposed to get to work on the next manuscript and leave the rest of the publishing process in the hands of the publisher. They never paid money to the publisher; instead, they often received an advance against royalties, usually from $500 to $5,000, but sometimes much more, and they always received royalties on sales after their advance was covered.

When the average person thinks about publishing, I’m pretty sure that’s the model he or she is envisioning.

In some circles, this still happens. There are still authors who don’t have to think beyond the writing, and who get advances and regular royalty cheques.

But they are becoming the exception. More and more publishing companies are expecting the author to not only write the book, but also see that most of the editing is done before they send it in, so the publisher doesn’t have to do much work on it. And some publishers are now expecting the authors to sell up to 65% of the books from the first print-run!

I don’t know about you, but those two things just blow my mind.

I’ll talk more about them in coming days, but for now, I want to focus on the fact that the meaning of the word "publish" is changing, and before you  sign with someone to publish your book, you need to read the fine print and check out what exactly the "publisher" is going to do.

Yes, there are still some traditional publishers out there who will pay you royalties, and maybe even advances, and let you focus on writing.

And there are others, who are still legitimate,, who will pay you royalties, but who might not give you an advance, or who might only be interested in you if you have a "platform" so that you can guarantee sales, or who will expect you to do all kinds of promotion on your own. They are still essentially real publishers, but they are using a new model where far more is expected of the author.

But there are many other companies who call themselves publishers but who want you to pay them to publish your book. They can be called subsidy publishers (meaning you subsidize the cost of the book) or vanity publishers (the book is being published due to the authors’ vanity).

In reality, these companies are book packagers. They have a menu of services they offer, each with a specific  price tag, and they put together a package of whatever ingredients the author pays for.

And sometimes the so-called publishers are really just glorified printers, adding minimal items such as an ISBN, but and mainly  printing whatever files the author sends them and doing nothing else.

If you are an aspiring author, please recognize that it is buyer beware, and you need to understand the minefield that is before you so you don’t end up throwing your money away for a book that won’t fulfill your dreams.

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