Literary agent Richard Curtis and author JA Konrath discuss whether authors make good agents

When I read respected agent Richard Curtis's post Do Authors Make Good Publishers? I wasn't surprised to find that Curtis believes the answer is 'No'. I get where he's coming from since I've been traditionally published AND self-published. Publishing takes a lot of hard work, knowledge and dedication. But is it fair for Curtis to lump all authors under that umbrella of 'No'? I don't think so.

For years, various elements of the publishing industry have tried to tamp down the involvement of authors in their own success. Publishers didn't want too much input from authors; they wanted to maintain their iron-gloved fist of control. Editors wanted to be seen as the experts on all things grammatical (and in many instances they were), even to the point of changing story elements to suit their tastes. And the writer has been at the bottom of the heap, the creator of a story that stemmed from their ideas.

Traditional publishing is made of many moving parts--publisher, editor, cover artist, publicist etc. Self-publishing required that an author either take on all these roles or sub-contract these areas. A smart self-published author quickly learns that though they may be good at all areas, it's far better to hire out and cut down the work load. This was they can focus on writing more books. That's what I do. That's what makes a good publisher, the ability to recognize areas of strengths and delegate others.

Respected author and self-publishing advocate JA Konrath posts a reply to Curtis on his blog, and he makes some valid points. First, anyone who has been following Konrath over the past year knows where he stands on self-publishing. He's all for it and is one of the top income earners in the ebook industry.

"Authors should self-publish," Konrath writes. "In an ebook-dominated world, are publishers even needed?"

I've watched the massive rise in popularity of ebooks and ereaders. No one predicted it would happen this quickly or early, but it's here. Ebooks are outselling print books. I know that just from my own sales data. My ebook sales in December blew my print sales out the door.

The biggest indicator for me that ebooks are King is this:

My mother who is an avid reader of about 3 paperbacks a week always claimed how much she loved print books and that she'd never read via an ereader. So I gave her one for her birthday in August. When I spoke with her at Christmas I expected her to tell me she hadn't bothered to turn her new Kobo on yet.

Boy, was I shocked by her answer. She "LOVES" her ereader. She likes that she can enlarge the font for easier reading and that she can buy books so easily. She's already downloaded all of Lee Child's "Reacher" ebooks. She reads during the day. She reads in bed. No more waiting for time to shop for books at the store. If you knew my Mom you'd know that this is a clear revelation as to where ebooks are going. The surprising news: We're there!

So back to Richard Curtis's question: Do Authors Make Good Publishers?

Here's my answer:

Some do; some don't. A self-published author taking on the role of publisher will have to dedicate time and energy to the process. If they're doing print, they may be looking at ways to get books into stores, something that is getting harder by the week. But if they're publishing ebooks, the doors are wide open.

Publishing is a skill or trade that can be learned. So yes, SOME authors can and will make great publishers. And SOME won't. It's unfair to lump all authors under the "No" umbrella.

I'm an author who has been traditionally published and self-published. Yes, taking on the publisher 'hat' requires more work, but it's worth it. A smart self-published author turned publisher builds a strong support team. I can honestly say I'm a better "publisher" than my last traditional publisher. I'm still in business.

Cheryl Kaye Tardif

P.S. I just answered the door. My new Kobo ereader with Wi-fi is here! Whooo-ooo!

NovelRank is giving away a signed copy of my paranormal suspense thriller Divine Intervention

If you haven't read my bestselling paranormal suspense thriller Divine Intervention, which is like a cross between CSI, Medium, and Ghost Whisperer, you now have an opportunity to win a signed trade paperback edition, courtesy of NovelRank.

NovelRank is a free rank tracking service for authors, publishers and agents. The service tracks sales ranks for books and ebooks sold on Amazon.com (& some international Amazons.) With NovelRank authors can view graphs, charts and real-time data.

This month, NovelRank is giving away two books, including Divine Intervention. To enter, visit NovelRank.

As an author and book marketing coach, I highly recommend authors to use this free service and track your book sales through Amazon.

A Publisher Shares Tips on Book Marketing

Publisher Jerry D. Simmons, who worked for Warner Books for over two decades before branching out to form his own publishing company, shares his insights on marketing books with some easy to follow tips.

"Selling books without a minimum marketing effort will result in poor sales. Here are the basics every author should follow when marketing their book..."

Read Jerry's tips on marketing at Shameless Promoter.

My thoughts on the closing of Kunati Books

No one likes seeing a dream come to an end, but that's what happened for the partners at Kunati Books, a small Canadian publishing house in Ontario that began signing authors back in 2006, then went out of business in 2009. I was one of their first authors and I can tell you that being a Kunati author has been a real eye-opening experience.

In January 2009, I got my rights back for my novel Whale Song and it was taken out of print. Call it irreconcilable differences. I didn't agree with some of the practices; they crossed ethical boundaries for me. Call it the terrible economy and recession. My books were selling consistently, but not moving in 5 figure increments. Regardless of the reasons, I was happy with the decision to leave Kunati.

When Kunati Books first announced it was closing, the authors who got the calls were shocked, but not surprised. After chatting with some of the current Kunati authors, it appears that after the news reached them, it hit hard and created a lot of havoc in the first week or so. Many of these authors were understandably disappointed by the news. They could see their dreams going down the drain. Most authors are now coming out of the aftershock phase with a more positive outlook on their futures, and I am glad for them.

The possibilities for success for my author friends are endless. While some are considering self-publishing now, others are still hoping to get that decent book deal with a professional publisher. I sincerely hope they achieve their dreams. Some are awaiting a final royalty and making decisions on whether they want to buy their books back.

Some positives came out of my experience with Kunati; in particular, the wonderful friendships I made with many of the other authors. Many of us suffered at various levels through a frustrating time and we bonded because of it. We also celebrated each others' successes, and we continue to do so.

So what have I learned? Well, I'll be blunt. I've learned that it may not be the wisest decision to go with the "new guy" on the block. For all the big splash that Kunati made in its early days, it didn't matter in the end. Sometimes it's best to go with the old, tried and true. But the splashy, bold and controversial are appealing and draw you in.

That being said, I don't think I'll ever take a chance again on a small, new publishing company, especially one run by aspiring authors. Not that they're all doomed, but my experiences had enough red flags, thank you. My aspirations are for a lifelong career as a novelist, and I need a publisher who can work with me as a partner to achieve that goal.

My advice to authors looking for a publisher: do your homework!!! Check them out online and email their authors (current and past). Don't believe everything you read about them--good or bad. And remember the old adage: "if something looks too good to be true, it probably is." And "be careful what you wish for; you might just get it."

Wishing you all much success and happiness.

Read my original post about the closing of Kunati Books

Kunati Books is going under

UPDATE 6: My thoughts on the closing of Kunati Books

UPDATE 5: Quill & Quire: Kunati Books goes under

UPDATE 4: I received an email from my contact at Publishers Lunch. She said she wasn't planning on mentioning me but that she later saw my original blog post and felt there was additional info in it that would be helpful to others. She apologized, then mentioned I've done a service to a lot of people by coming forth with this info. That was my only intention.

UPDATE 3: I sent an email to my contact at Publishers Lunch asking them to remove the mention of me, as I received a nasty email from one Kunati author who thinks I'm talking about this for publicity. I'm not. I'm finishing what I started, which was coming forth with the truth about Kunati so that other writers would have that information.

UPDATE 2: If you came here to my blog because of the Publishers Lunch announcement, please note that I had no idea they would mention me or my blog. I answered an email from a gal at PL asking for the emails for Derek Armstrong and James McKinnon. I told her I used to be a Kunati author and specifically asked her to keep my name out of it. They didn't.

UPDATE 1: This news has now been confirmed by James McKinnon, editor at Kunati Books.

My original post:

I heard from 2 Kunati authors today that Canadian publishing company Kunati Books will be going under. I'm not sure if this means my ex-publisher will be filing for bankruptcy or just closing their "stable doors" and walking away.

Editor James McKinnon contacted my source and said that books could be bought back for a 70% discount.

While I am so happy that I got out of there early after experiencing too many problems, I feel awful for the authors caught up in this mess. I hope they all get a letter of reversion so that they get their rights back.

I'm not surprised that it's the end of Kunati though; there were just too many problems--the main one being that the publisher and his partners had no previous experience in running a publishing company. However, it's sad to see.

What I do know is that life after Kunati for me has been great! I'm less stressed and I see positive things happening in my career. So Kunati authors, don't despair. This door is closing, but others will open.

~Cheryl

Publishers who don't pay their authors--like Kunati Books

Today was the deadline I gave my publisher Derek Armstrong at Kunati Books to pay me and give me my statements. I haven't been paid by them in over a year. And I was never, ever paid on time, as per the contract that we both signed.

The mail is in. No check. No statements. No big surprise.

Can we say "breach of contract"?

It's publishers like this that give the publishing industry a bad name.

I was promised a check by the end of July. A check that was already late, as per the contract. I was promised statements too. Makes you wonder WHY a publisher is holding back this information.

And it's not just me; many Kunati authors have struggled to get paid and get their statements. Quill & Quire, Canada's leading literary magazines ran two recent articles exposing the goings on at Kunati. After careful consideration and after a reporter contacted me, I decided to come forward with other authors and tell Q&Q what a contract means over at Kunati. A big fat whoppin' NOTHING.

Quill & Quire:

• Kunati Books neglecting its authors (you might have to subscribe to view)
• The July/August print edition features a follow-up story where they "investigate the troubled publishing history of Kunati Books."

Would I recommend Kunati Books to other authors? Not on your life! There were far more problems than I've mentioned here. The bottom line is this: As an author, you work too hard writing and creating a work, then promoting it (and spending a ton of money to do it), and you deserve to be paid on time, with no hassles. You also have the right to know your print run and sales stats and to receive statements on time. My advice: stay far, far away from Kunati if you want to be paid and receive your statements--on time or at all.

Thankfully, I got all my rights back for Whale Song, which sold consistently well as a Kunati title and launched their trade paperback imprint UNA. And I pulled my new novel Children of the Fog out just in time, right after Kunati accepted it. Now all I want is what's owed to me--the money for my sales (I personally bought over 130 copies of Whale Song through various online stores to give to charities and reviewers in 2008; none have been returned) and my statements and print run info. Early on, Armstrong claimed that the 2007 titles went into a second print run. I still have his email. In fact, I have all his emails, something I recommend you do if you're having problems with your publisher.

Do you have a publisher horror story? If so, contact Writer Beware and Preditors & Editors. You can also obtain legal advice, like I have, through various writers' groups and associations like Authors Guild, and through private entertainment lawyers. It's not easy coming forward and speaking out, but sometimes it's necessary. Too many authors are being taken advantage of. Don't let that happen to you.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

Subliminal Advertising: How far will fans go to help authors get noticed?

An old friend emailed me last night and told me the funniest story about how he helped promote me. Here's his email:

I was in Chapters with my wife and the kids on the weekend, and I went to look for CKT in the mystery section, and there was NOTHING! I went to one of the computers, and while you are listed, stock was ZERO.

I was waiting for my wife, so while I waited I went to ALL SIX of the computer terminals, searched for Cheryl Kaye Tardif, clicked and left up the page with YOUR name and YOUR titles before I left the store.

Heh, heh, heh, the book-reading public in Ottawa's west end doesn't know they were affected by subliminal advertising!

ALL SIX terminals!

My friend's story made me laugh, but it also made me really thankful to have friends and fans like him. It isn't easy trying to get noticed in an industry that now sees over 400,000 new books in the US alone, per year. Book marketing takes up a lot of my time. Word of mouth is always the best form of advertising, but just having my books visible is also important. I wonder if anyone in Ottawa saw those computer monitors and bought my books as a result. :-) Email me if you did!

Over the years I've had fans email publishers asking them to publish my books or make a large print version. Some fans have gone into their bookstores and turned my novels so that the covers faced out. Some fans have left my bookmarks in libraries. And of course I've had fans tell their friends and family about me and order my books for gifts.

'Dare to Dream and Dream BIG' - the motto I've lived by

Note: You know you're addicted to blogging when you still post something even though you've been suffering from major food poisoning for the past 2 days. This is the first day I've left the house and that was to go to the doctor for tests and medication. And we leave for Vegas on Monday...sigh...

Anyway, please enjoy today's post. It was featured on OnceWritten.com.

Daring to Dream Big

I’ve always been a dreamer, and I’ve always believed in dreaming BIG. Ever since I was a young girl, my goal was to become the next Stephen King―or 'Stephanie', at least. It’s been a long, hard journey, but one well worth it, and now I am published and on my way to greater success. I learned that with a dream, anything is possible. With a BIG dream, one never stops reaching higher. This is my story…

Read the rest of my story at OnceWritten.com.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song

Is the end of the world coming for the book industry?

New York Magazine published an article that looks at the downward spiral of the book business. As writer Boris Kachka says, "The book business as we know it will not be living happily ever after." He goes on to describe the "horror" that is now the book world--slow sales, staff cuts, empty offices and more. Indeed, he paints a sad picture of the industry in which I lay my future and my dreams.

But I'm still hopeful, still clinging to the thought that people are still reading books. What else could they be using my novels for? As I like to say: "There's always light at the end of even the darkest tunnel." Those in the book industry need to step into that light--all of us, from authors to agents to publishers to distributors to booksellers. There's always hope.

However, I can't get the image of shredded books out of my mind. No author wants to think of their publisher having to shred books. But it happens. 25% of books published are fated to die a slow death by shredder.

Kachka talks about the huge advances that the elite writers receive--those debut novelists that publishers risk everything for. I'm thinking it's time to level the playing field. Publishers are slowly coming around to that line of thinking.

As an author I can take a huge advance and not see anything more for years, or I can take a smaller advance and receive royalties every quarter. The way I spend money, the latter is probably best. Of course that doesn't mean I'd turn down a $1,000,000 advance. But I'm a suspense author who has a vested interest in seeing bookstores and publishers succeed. I believe we'll see a more cautious approach to advances to authors in the future. We'll probably see smaller print runs, maybe using print-on-demand (the technology, not subsidy).

I believe that publishing companies AND authors will have to think outside the typical bookstore box. Many authors I know would prefer to market online as opposed to doing cross-country book tours. Even Margaret Atwood prefers not to do a barrage of signings. I coach new authors to stick close to home, do signings in their city or town first, then branch out, keeping costs down.

The internet opens a lot of doors for authors and publishers--especially if they're creative in their marketing. I held a 30-day virtual book tour after the release of my last novel, Whale Song, guest blogging on a variety of sites and blogs. It was quite successful. However, it could have been more successful if it had been advertised more to the media, bookstores and online. This is where I see publishers saving money and creating more buzz. The internet opens up the book market to the world. Why not use it?

Don't get me wrong; I love doing book signings. Apparently, I'm an anomaly because I truly enjoy meeting people and selling my books in a bookstore. But online promotion is the future.

There will always be people reading something. Most of my friends (non-authors) love reading and have book collections they add to regularly. Books are comforting, easy to take on holidays--nothing says "relaxation" like reading a good book on a Mexican beach.

Personally, I'll take a lesser book advance than the 2.5 million a fellow countryman was paid (for multiple translations). I'd even take less than the 1 mill. another fellow Canadian received for advance. I realize it's a marketing ploy; it ups the interest in the book, but let's get real.

Heck, I'll take a signed contract with Berkley or Bantam or any one of the BIG GUYS, an advance between $100K-500K, plus royalties, and I'll work my @$$ off to promote my "baby". Where do I sign? My agent is Jack Scovil at Scovil Galen Ghosh (formerly Scovil Chichak Galen) Literary Agency.

So where will the book industry be in 5 years? I have no idea, but I can tell you one thing: The suspense is killing me!

Read the New York Magazine article.

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
Canadian suspense author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention

http://www.cherylktardif.com/

Canadian Authors Association Annual Conference - CanWrite!

Don’t let your writing dreams take a vacation this summer! Grow them!

Find inspiration at the Canadian Authors Association Annual Conference - CanWrite! July 3-6 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Learn how to source new material, break into new markets, try new genres, polish your word gems and get your writing out there!

If you can’t attend the entire conference, invest in yourself with a day of professional development or take in a keynote address. Mingle and celebrate with publishers, agents, writers and readers who enjoy a good book at the National CAA Awards Presentations Gala. Listen to the National Literary Award winners at a reading at the Timms Centre.

Keynote speakers: Ralph Keyes - author and speaker; and Ian Ferguson - writer and humourist

Presenters include: Cheryl Kaye Tardif, Carolyn Swayze, Gloria Sawai, Jacqueline Baker, Richard Helm, Jay Bardyla, Susan Musgrave, Matthew Bin, Ted Bishop, Sharon Budnarchuk, Gloria Sawai, and many more.

Where will you find inspiration this summer? Learn more at: www.canauthorsalberta.ca/CanWrite

Canadian Book Prices Cause Book Rage

In the book world, Canadian prices have always been absurdly high, compared with US prices. It's always been a common complaint, and believe me, as an author who puts herself out into the frontlines by doing book signings in bookstores, it isn't always easy to listen to customers complain, berate staff or even me, or walk out angry.

With the strong Canadian dollar comes some huge savings for Canadians buying American goods or traveling to the States, but it also comes with a frightening down-side. And with the Canadian dollar reaching $1.10 last week, some bookstores have seen enraged customers go above a few nasty words. As James Adams reported in the Globe and Mail last Saturday, "the Canadian bookshop has become a charged environment, perhaps even a dangerous one." There have been two reported incidents of customers throwing books.

As a Canadian author in the middle of a 3 month book tour, I have to sadly agree with much of this article. I have witnessed angry customers taking their frustrations out on innocent bookstore staff--many of them teenagers who make $8.00/hour, if they're lucky. I've overheard loud conversations by disgruntled customers and have born the brunt of their anger as well.

Ironically, my publisher Kunati Books was the first publisher in Canada to lower prices to be closer to par. And they did this about 2 months ago.

What people don't seem to realize is that it isn't up to the bookstore, and it certainly isn't up to the author to lower prices. This is something the publisher must do, and the bigger the publisher, the bigger the financial loss. But I've heard rumors that some are coming onboard with Kunati. Since my publisher is smaller (and maybe a bit bolder), they won't have such a drastic loss. And don't forget, the author would make less as well.

People seem to forget that for every book, thousands of copies have already been printed, taking into consideration the original retail price. Many smaller publishers cannot take the hit. We have already lost too many Canadian publishers as it is.

So my advice to book lovers is: keep your cool and remember that these things take time. No one likes the high prices, not even me. But I certainly don't like customers yelling at me or my bookstore staff friends for something that is out of our hands.

Instead, I invite you to support those publishers or bookstores who have already lowered book prices. Kunati Books will be happy to sell Canadians their books (including my novel Whale Song) for near to par. Whale Song went from $16.95 to $13.95 for a trade paperback. By supporting the publishers who have already done this, you are then sending a strong message to other publishers.

http://www.whalesongbook.com

Buy Whale Song from Chapters.ca or if you're in Edmonton, buy from Audreys Books. Anywhere else, just ask for it in your local bookstore. The new price is in effect everywhere.

http://www.kunati.com/

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention