Saturday, April 01, 2017

Why Would An Author Want to Be Traditionally Published?



Talking to authors is one of the many enjoyable jobs I have as a publisher and radio host. I had a great conversation yesterday with a self-published author. He was asking about the path to becoming traditionally published and the reasons someone might want to do that.

Unless you are really new to the world of publishing, you know the game has changed. Becoming a traditionally published author with one of the “Big Five” publishers, the major trade book publishers in the United States, is not what most new authors are attempting. And if they are, they are approaching it a little differently. Some are still making the attempt through literary agents, some try self-publishing and once they have achieved some success, may be picked up by a publisher and others, like one of my recent guests on Book HoundTM, Jacci Turner, are working with an imprint of one of the Big Five, Harper Legend, an imprint of Harper Collins to try to break in that way. And others work with indie publishers, like LeRue Press, to forge a path, develop their following and reach their audiences with some support from a publisher. Some authors are very happy staying self-published and determining their own destiny and finding their path with their own following. Truly, there is no one answer to publishing today.

Back to my conversation…the author asked some excellent questions.

               He said, “I am already self-published. What is the advantage to being with a traditional publisher?
               Will you provide support?
               If so, what kind?
               Who pays for what?
               If I go on tour, will you pay for it?
               Can I still go contact radio and TV stations and book interviews?

All good questions and I answered each of them from the perspective of our publishing company. Each company has its own perspective and platform. Before most of these questions can be answered specifically, the author will have to present their work and then begin the task of “selling themselves” to the publisher.

From a generic standpoint, I will answer the questions posed.

What is the advantage to being with a traditional publisher?
One advantage a publisher brings is entry to bookstores who will not allow self-published authors to do a book signing or have their book in the store. I realize that may seem unfair to authors that are self-published, but it may be as simple as limited space or time slots and the bookstore owner had to define some rules. It also might be they have found too many self-published authors that were not engaged in it as a business and thought the store would bring them an audience. That is not really how it works. Authors need to be marketers also and shelf space is costly. If you are not selling, it is not worth it to the bookseller. If you are with one of the Big Five publishers, you will have the opportunity for major distribution; but it does not preclude that you still need to market; possibly even more so. 

Will you provide support? If so, what kind?
We do offer support at LeRue Press. It depends on the book presented and the budget we define for it. Often, the support comes in the form of social media, our radio shows and press releases. It might be phone calls to contacts we know.

If I go on tour, will you pay for it?
As far as paying for things, it again reverts to what the budget is. Authors that are traditionally published whether through a large publisher or an independent need to plan to pay for much of what they need. If you go on tour, you’ll be paying for much of it, though that does depend on the author and the publisher and the deal you strike with them.

Can I still go contact radio and TV stations and book interviews?
We encourage contacting radio and TV stations for interviews in a professional manner, of course, and armed with the tools of your media kit and a coordinated effort with your publisher and media team (if you have one).   

Feel free to comment and share your experiences too.

Enjoy the journey and we wish you success!


-Janice Hermsen               

Monday, March 27, 2017

Book Hound: Fragments of Time

Cherry Davis Katz, Missouri-born actor, singer, dancer, featured in seven original, successful musicals on Broadway in New York City, and now author and story-teller has written Fragments of Time: Love, Mystery, Fiction…or Truth? The stories range from true psychic mysteries to the humorous observations of life.  There are love stories, war stories, animal, childhood, family, and ghost stories, tragic stories, happy stories, pet peeves, and paranormal visions and dreams. Cherry joins host, Janice Hermsen and special co-host, Laura Newman, on Book Hound
Then in the last segment, get ready for the “Book Blitz” a lightning round of books about multiple sclerosis in honor of MS Awareness Month?  Janice and April always have some great picks to share.  
It’s fun, it’s interesting and you don't want to miss a second of the Book Hound Show!

Live:
When: 4 p.m.-5 P.M. Pacific Time
March 27, 2017

Online: Streaming live Listen online

On the radio in northern Nevada: KCKQ 1180 AM, a Lotus Radio Station

On the Tunein radio app: Search America Matters

Questions and comments: Book Hound Facebook Page

Text:
775.237.2266

Call in: 844.790.8255

Podcast: If you miss the live show, pick up a podcast at http://amm.streamon.fm. Go to podcasts and find Book Hound Show. Or contact Janice Hermsen at janice@lrpnv.com.

What's the Story? Would you have the determination?

Danny Heinsohn learned he had a brain tumor the size of a racquetball upon graduating from the University of Nevada in May of 1999. After three craniotomies, he was conclusively diagnosed with primary central nervous system lymphoma, a cancer that originates in the brain with a median survival rate of 5 years. Twelve months of chemotherapy followed.

To celebrate his 10th year of cancer remission in 2010, Danny started a scholarship fund for young adult cancer survivors. It’s called My Hometown Heroes which was inspired by those who supported him through the trying times. Danny Heinsohn, award winning philanthropist, high performance sales coach, author, and keynote speaker joins Janice & Dennis on What’s the Story?.

Then it’s the Hollywood Rockin’ Wrap Up (by Jason Hadley) and Brian T. Shirley on the BTS Entertainment Corner. Brian will talk about "Bruce the Challenge" by Nick Catello and Hollywood Sunset Pictures. Don’t miss this segment!

Have questions? Call 844-790-8255, text your question to 775-237-2266 or go on the What’s the Story Facebook page and post your question. 

When: NEW DAY- MONDAY, NEW TIME! 3 – 4 p.m. Pacific Time
April 3, 2017

Listen live:
Where: KCKQ AM 1180, a Lotus Radio Station in northern Nevada, streaming http://amm.streamon.fm

You can also listen on the TuneIn Radio App: Search America Matters

Questions and comments:What's the Story? on Facebook

Call in: 844-987-8679 (844-WT-STORY) or 844-790-8255

Listen anytime:

If you miss the show, go to http://americamatters.us for a podcast under What’s the Story?

Friday, March 24, 2017

Where have we been?

It's been a while since we've blogged, apparent from the lapse in dates. We have been busy growing our business and improving what we can do for authors and businesses.

If you have never visited our webpage or our shop, we are a publisher, printer and business center. We focus on helping businesses and authors and/or independent publishers "brand" themselves and present a professional image. Part of branding often includes publishing a book whether you're a business trying to grow your customer base or an author trying to grow your customer base!

Either way, often it's hard to find someone who will have a one on one conversation with you and try to help you reach your particular goal. We pride ourselves on our customer service. We're far from perfect, but we make every attempt to work with our clients to achieve their goals and dreams.

In 2017, we added perfect binding to our multiple services. If you are looking to do booklets, book marks, postcards, invoices, scratch pads, promotional items for your business or book or perfect bound books in smaller quantities, we are the source you've been looking to find.

Without getting too "salesy" (is that a word?), we enjoy what we do and hope to have a chance to meet you either online or in person and see if we can help you find the answers to your questions. We know there are plenty of choices when it comes to publishing, printing and business needs, but we enjoy the journey and love to answer questions and help people reach their goals.

Future blogs will be more informative about different business, writing and publishing topics, but since it's been a while, I wanted to reintroduce us to you.

I am one of the co-founders of LeRue Press. My name is Janice Hermsen. When you call, you might reach me or one of my other two partners in the business (also family members), Kathy Szudajski and Lenore Halfide. I do most of the writing, editing, marketing and I am blessed to have a couple of radio shows and publish What's the Story? every month, an online and print publication with a circulation of over 2500. Kathy does most of the printing, phones and mailing services and Lenore does graphic design, layout and she answers the phone too!

Give us a call and I'll try not to take years to write again. Thanks for waiting! LOL.