On Writing - Beware

Very early on in This Darkness is Mine's nascent life, a small press approached me. They read a fairly raw version of chapter 1 and offered a publishing contract. I'd already read Cal P. Logan's blog post on his similar experience of being approached by a small press to publish his fantasy novel.

I had reservations. I didn't feel GO.

My Twitter twin Steven Viner did some research into the small press's list of published works. Not one had significant rankings on Amazon. He said it was a sign that they didn't support the authors' marketing or promotion efforts. Meanwhile, the press specialized exclusively in mental illness titles. It could have been a great fit. Except I didn't feel GO.

Plus, in the back of my mind, I felt newb-ish and naive and vulnerable. While I believed wholeheartedly in This Darkness is Mine, I didn't feel it was ready enough. I had braced for criticism, and expected a publisher to say, "It'll get edited."

This publisher also wanted a cover design fee.
I so totally didn't feel GO.



I ignored them. Rude, but I didn't know what to tell them. (Weird for a writer, right?)

Flash forward a year or so later, a friend who also has a mental illness was approached by the same small press and he signed with them. I wished him luck and told him I'd walked away.

Right as they went to print, the press went out of business. He decided to go the self-publishing route after all that.

Draw your own conclusions.

I'll say this. Vet your sources. Do not sign on a dotted line with an agent or with a publisher unless you have a list of questions answered to your satisfaction. Don't even know what questions to ask, my friend C D'Angelo turned me on to some guidelines: check this out.

If you're a creative, then intellectual property laws apply. If you can't afford a celebrity lawyer, then try A) searching the local universities with law schools. They may have supervised student clinics that study intellectual property and can help you for free or for a significantly reduced fee; B) call your State or County Bar Association Referral line. The referral line for my county charged $50 for the referral which included a half-hour consultation with the lawyer. The lawyer I was referred to is PHENOMENAL and charged $250 to review my contract. He drew my attention to specific clauses and went over them with me.

I'm assuming your book baby means a lot to you and you're expecting its success to change your life. That's a lot on the line.

Don't treat it lightly. Go into negotiations informed and empowered. There's no guarantee of success, but you can certainly tilt the odds in your favor.

Have a magical day!

Mackenzie
Twitter: @mackenzielitt13 / @calplogan / @cdangeloauthor

WAS THIS INFORMATION HELPFUL? Leave a comment below: