Thursday, December 11, 2014

On taking care and being thankful - Jo-Anne Berthelsen

Over recent months, several authors have contacted me, asking for advice about publication and promotion. My heart goes out to them because of the dilemmas in which some of them find themselves. Some decided to go with risky, overseas publishing deals which involved considerable cost on their part. Others spent less money but have little idea how to sell or promote their books. Some of these conversations left me feeling angry and helpless. There is little I can do for these poor authors, apart from giving them contacts and a few suggestions. But I fear for them in it all. It is not going to be easy.

I wanted to use this experience—or rather, the experiences of these authors—to say two things here. Firstly, I would like to sound a warning to authors everywhere to consider well before embarking on any publication deal, especially if it involves paying out rather large sums of money. One author I spoke to lost over three thousand dollars when an overseas subsidy publishing company ostensibly went bankrupt. Yet a simple online check would have revealed many warnings not to enter into any business dealings with this company. Another has paid for her book to be published overseas with little thought as to how she will get those hard copies here to Australia at a reasonable cost. It is all very sad, in my opinion.

Connected with these publishing deals is the dilemma of how these authors are going to promote and sell those copies when they finally arrive. Yes, their books might be listed on publishers’ websites and even on Amazon, Barnes and Noble etc. But that is nowhere near enough. How are people going to know those books are available? This does not happen by magic. These authors will need to think of ways to promote their own books, learn about how to use social media to their advantage and be prepared to go to places and speak. It cannot even be taken for granted Christian bookstores will want to stock their books—or, at least, that is the case here in Australia. One reason is that, however good such books are, bookstores do not want to have to deal with endless single author accounts rather than a certain number of established publishers.

Secondly, for those of us who already have publishers we know and trust who have a good name and do all they can to get our books out there in the market, let’s be so thankful! As well, let’s be thankful for groups such as this one and for all the knowledge we have gleaned from others who have gone before us. Some potential authors I know have little idea how to use the internet well, let alone know of groups such as ICFW or similar Australian ones until we tell them. Some authors I know do not want to speak or promote their books or are unable to do this because of ill health or various life commitments. How thankful we need to be—for those publishers with integrity, for those who helped us along the way, for those around us now, supporting and encouraging us, and for the abilities and opportunities God has given us!


Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney, Australia. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.

8 comments:

  1. Jo-Anne, well said. Too many writers have being ripped off and suffered financially as a result of their unwise decisions.

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    1. I had another lady contact me only last night, wanting to know what to do with her novel. I don't have time to assess it for her but it took me well over an hour to think about how to help her and email her the websites etc of various people she could go to next. I just feel so sorry for people who put all this time into writing a book but don't seem to have the knowledge as to what to do next. I guess that is where we come in--and groups like this one!

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    2. I'm sure she appreciated you generously sharing your time and expertise. One stumbling block can be that 'we don't know what we don't know'. Writing groups can be incredibly helpful in pointing writers in the right direction to effectively research the publishing business. Publishing is a tough business. I do wonder if people would still write their first book, with a goal of publication, if they knew more about the nature of the publishing industry before they started writing?

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    3. Good question, Narelle. And I think you're right when you mention that stumbling block re not knowing what we don't know! Sometimes that works in our favour as maybe we wouldn't have the courage to take on something God wants us to do if we knew up front all the problems we would encounter!

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    4. A writers group is essential,both to polish your work before submission and to help steer you away from bad ideas. If you are able to do your own book design and prepare your own manuscript, POD or e-book is an inexpensive way to go, but it does take work (including comparing layout with professionally done books) and it doesn't help with promotion!

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    5. Totally agree, LeAnne. In some instances, I think the self-publishing, POD/e-book is a wise decision--but you definitely have to have that good network and platform in place for the promotion that follows, if you want more readers than just family and friends.

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  2. My very first contract turned out to be a very bad deal that I--praise God--avoided. So bad, in fact, that several of the high up employees ended up in jail! It is so important to do your homework and fully understand what you are getting into. There are many options today as far as publishing, but that also means there are also many things that must be considered in the process as well. Good words of advice!

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    1. Oh wow--that must have been a scary experience for you, Lisa--so good you avoided any trouble with that first contract, which could well have been the end of your writing, but for God! Yes, I agree there are many more options around now, but it takes time to explain all that to some people who have contacted me. It highlights the need for basic input on being published to be included at our Christian writers' conferences each year, for sure.

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