I Have Never Forgotten

I have always had a knack for remembering stories.

It may have all started with Disney movies, because however many years later and I can still quote all the movies of my childhood. The songs, the words, the character's actions -- I am a one woman show. Or, it may have all started when I was even younger and watching this show called Kids Incorporated. A show I don't remember now but my mom says I would go around singing the songs in that show and re-enacting even when I was two.

Whatever the start, stories have always been a constant in my life. Especially when I love a story. Like those songs, that story stays with me. It influences me in some way. And those are the ones, I believe, that have a lot to teach us as writers.

If we are a writer, then we want to be remembered. We want to make other people feel the same way we did when we experienced a certain story. And, in order to figure out what made the story so important to us, we need to first identify what the stories are -- and then really think about what makes it tick. Understanding how and why and what is going to help your story have that "OMGosh! *flail*" quality that makes someone remember it. (In fact, as a testament, I always look for all three of these books when I go into used bookstores because I like to collect them.)

One of these for me is RUNNING OUT OF TIME by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie's mother sends her on a dangerous mission to bring back help. But beyond the walls of Clifton, Jessie discovers a world even more alien and threatening than she could have imagined, and soon she finds her own life in jeopardy. Can she get help before the children of Clifton, and Jessie herself, run out of time?

I was in fifth grade when I read this story. It was this story about a girl learning the truth of her world because everything she knew and everyone she loved depended on her.

It was a story I've never, ever forgotten. And when my editor first read Follow Me Through Darkness, I remember her saying to me,"Have you read Running Out of Time?" And of course, that's how I knew she was the perfect person to handle my book. Even if I hadn't seen it before, that book obviously had a hand in creating FMTD. The circumstances are different and the world is different and mine has a lot more kissing than this MG does --- but that book (to everyone who's read it) is always remembered. When you read it, there's a tension that Running Out of Time creates and never loses. That tension drives the story. And honestly, being compared to a book that I read cover-to-cover as a kid and still own four copies of was a huge compliment. (I highly suggest everyone reads it because I still love it as an adult.)

Another for me is DREADFUL SORRY by Katherine Reiss.

Ever since she can remember, seventeen-year-old Molly has been plagued by the same terrifying nightmare and an almost overwhelming fear of water. After almost drowning at a pool party, she flees to the safety of her father’s house for the summer. But Molly’s problems only intensify as she stumbles onto a series of strange connections linking herself to a girl who lived in that Cliffside house nearly a century before. Then the eerie coincidences start to form a dangerous pattern, and Molly finds herself haunted by visions that feel more like memories--memories of a time before she was even born

I don't remember how old I was when I read this. I am pretty sure it was elementary school from the Scholastic Book Fairs flyer they they sent home every month.  But this cover was freaky.

I was a huge Goosebumps fan when I was a kid. (I had them all!) and I loved scary, creepy things. I still do. There's a scene in this book where the girl, Molly, drowns and I can still (like 100%) see it happening. (There's a creepy song involved.) Dreadful Sorry isn't as much in the front of memory as the others and it's not as easy to recall all the little details, but it's still a book I always remembered. That says something.

The other one (which should be no surprise to anyone) is A NORTHERN LIGHT by Jennifer Donnelly.

Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel guest Grace Brown entrusts her with the task of burning a secret bundle of letters. But when Grace's drowned body is fished from the lake, Mattie discovers that the letters could reveal the grim truth behind a murder. Set in 1906 against the backdrop of the murder that inspired Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, Jennifer Donnelly's astonishing debut novel effortlessly weaves romance, history, and a murder mystery into something moving, and real, and wholly original.

This is the book that made me want to be a writer. I wasn't a kid here. In fact, I was a sophomore in college. A Northern Light was the first YA book I read—and I didn’t even know it. I found this book sitting on this free table in our main building, picked it up and took it home. When I finished reading it, I was bawling to my roommate that 'I wanted to write a story like that' and she looked at me and said, 'Then do it.' I minored in writing because it was the most beautiful book I’d ever read and I wanted to be able to write like that. It wouldn't be until years later I learned it was a YA book.

If you haven't read this book then I highly recommend it. (All her books, actually. Just go do it now.) There's something about the way she can weave words together that makes everything she writes beautiful. And this story, Mattie's journey to find her life (which isn't in the blurb but should be because she a smart girl trapped in a small town with big dreams) was one I connected with. (For obvious reasons.) I hope that one day something I write makes someone feel the way I felt after I read this book.

Now, this post is hard because I've obviously read A LOT of books. I remember a vast majority of them too, but when I think back these ones come to me with absolute clarity. There's something powerful about stories you don't forget. These books serve as reminds.

They remind about those who have come before me. (And will probably last long after me.)

They remind me how being a kid (or a semi-adult) looking for direction can find it.

They remind why I am an editor and the role I get to play in creating books like this for other people.

They remind me what a gift I have that I get to put words together that could someday never be forgotten.

Small Press 411 Wrap-up

We started this blog series to get the information about small presses into the writing community. Today's the last day of Small Press 411, and I think we accomplished our goal, don't you, Jennifer?

I have to agree, Danielle. There so much information here that just isn't available on the rest of the interwebz! At least not all in one place!

I keep thinking about the last three weeks and all the information that we gathered. There's a lot here. I mean, if I didn't know anything about small presses then I would now. What are the three top things that stood out to you, Jennifer?

Top 3! It's so hard to choose! Okay, here I go...

1) When Heidi Kling said: I had an offer from one of the Big 6 for the first book (which was, essentially, the first three installments of Spellspinners), but went with Lisa [at Coliloquy] because of the innovative way she'd publish my series. As a planned 10-book series, is not insignificant.

An author making the decision to go with a small press over a Big 6 publisher because it was a better fit for that book. Not only is that (and I hate this phrase, so forgive me) outside the box thinking, but I think we'll be seeing more and more of this over the next few years as people realize that for some projects a small press really is the best fit.

2)When Kate Kaynak said, When we first started signing authors, none of them had agents, now more than half of our authors do. Many of them got their agents after signing with us for the first book--getting that first big break with us made agents take them more seriously. 

Because it is SO true. Having publishing credentials, especially with a reputable small press, is a nice way to let a potential agent you're the real deal. If you can say you were published with Entangled, Spencer Hill, Coliloquy, Month9 or Luminis Books, odds are you're a professional and you know how the publishing business works. Don't underestimate that!

3) When agent Victoria Marini said,  If it’s a small press with a good track record, skilled & enthusiastic editors, and a compromising attitude, I’m excited. But if it’s a press with a catch-all approach to rights (film, translation, merchandising, audio, first serial, etc.) or they refuse to negotiate any of their points, than I’m probably less likely to jump on that boat.

YES! This. A million times this. Everything depends on the individual press. Do your research!


I think my top three were:

1) When agent Jessica Sinsheimer said, “The choice between a large press and a small press is often like the difference between an enormous university and a small college. It depends on the sort of experience that is the best fit for the writer." Because that’s totally what it is—and I went to small college, so maybe that’s why I love it so much. 

I still talk to a couple of my professors, and it’s been almost four years, so that’s a difference. I remember being in college and telling a friend how I would spend hours in my advisor’s office talking about nothing and ranting and obsessing over every little decision and the friend, who went to really large college, said “Wait, your advisor knows your name?” That’s completely what it’s like, and it’s a great analogy

2) When publicist Jaime said she makes herself available practically 24/7! “I think that we have become one great big family who loves our authors and supports them fully.”

I pick that one because it’s true. I’m about to be published with Entangled and Jaime is my publicist so when I have questions, Jaime is around to answer them. I get the same experience with Cindy at Spencer Hill. Both of my presses as an author give me that always around and available feeling. And, as an editor, I try to do the same for my authors. It’s really important to me on both ends, so it's good to know that it's the standard for others.

3) Agent Julia Webers’s response to misconceptions about small presses. “I think there are writers who think that small presses are not as good as bigger houses. That's not true. They can (and do) publish books with the same (or at times even more/ better) dedication, professionalism and quality as bigger houses. They just don't have the same resources. Sure, they have a tighter budget when it comes to advances, publicity, marketing and advertising — but that doesn't make a small press any less worthy." 

I don't think I need a reason for this one because Julia said it all herself and I want to shout it from the rooftops.

All in all, I think this was a success. It seems the consensus on small presses is do your homework, know what you want, and trust your instincts. I think that's really valid advice.

I'm so glad we were able to put this together and get this extremely valuable information out there. Thanks so much to Danielle Ellison for letting me be a part of this awesome series. She's got some really exciting things coming up, like SALT, this August and FOLLOW ME THROUGH DARKNESS, next October!  

Thank you so much for joining as we de-mystified small presses! Thanks also to my lovely co-organizer, Jennifer Iacopelli -- and make sure you check out her book GAME. SET. MATCH. in May!

Please pass along this tool to other writers, because #SmallPress411 exists for you. Speaking of, we want to hear from you.

What things will stick with you from the series? Did any of the information surprise you? Was anything you thought about small presses proved wrong--or right? Did your mind get changed (or at least opened) to the truth and potential about small presses?

Small Press 411: Publicists Day 2

Welcome to the second day of publicity and marketing for Small Press 411. Let's dive right into the rest of the questions.

What kinds of things have your authors done on their own to market themselves?

Kaamna from Coliloquy: Authors have pulled out all the stops with their own fan bases or with their contacts. In terms of exposure, when it comes to rising above the noise, having the right connections is a very powerful tool. Further, in the social media world, a genuine voice is the most effective so we find its best when authors maintain their own online presences.

Cindy from SHC: We’ve found that signing tours can be super successful, as well as online blog tours and chats. Readers love to meet the authors, even if it’s just online.

Heather at EP: They have their own websites, swag, contests, etc. They attend conferences and do book signings. They interact with their fans which I think is the most important.

Jaime at EP:  I agree like I said above fan interaction is key. And not just talking about their books. I know some authors are very private but when you see them on twitter or Facebook talking about TV shows they love or even other books you just want to join in on that conversation. But yeah the websites, contests and swag are really good too.

Do you expect your authors to consult with you if they decide to hold a publicity/marketing event on their own?

Kaamna from Coliloquy: We prefer that our authors coordinate with us, so that we can help publicize the event and foot the bill. :-)

Cindy from SHC: My authors have been very good about keeping me in the loop of any extra marketing they are doing and I’m happy about that. I think open communication is essential to the publicist-author relationship. I'm only one of the publicists across the whole company, but we all try to be aware of what's happening with our authors.

Heather at EP: I don’t expect them to consult with me, but if Entangled is involved in any way, I’d like to be involved with the marketing event. Even if they’re holding it on their own, I’d like to be an extra set of eyes and ears just in case.

Jaime at EP: Yeah, I’d like to know for sure if it’s an Entangled book. That way I can tweet and post on Facebook, etc. to let more people know.

Do you consider an author's platform during the editorial meeting before acquiring a manuscript?

Kaamna from Coliloquy: Quite honestly, we should, but I'm afraid our editorial team just can't help themselves when they fall in love with a book.

Cindy from Spencer Hill: I’m sure an author’s online platform, whether existent or nonexistent, is discussed, but that detail alone wouldn’t make an editor choose or not choose to purchase a manuscript. At the end of the day, the most important thing is the quality of the writing and the story itself. Since it’s usually well over a year before a book is released, we can always work with an author to establish an online platform.

What would you say to writers who would hesitate to sign with a small press because of concerns about on marketing/publicity compared to larger publishing houses?

Kaamna from Coliloquy: You should absolutely be concerned about the marketing and publicity resources of a small publisher. We simply cannot compete with the big guys on certain types of marketing and PR campaigns. HOWEVER, we are also a tech-savvy, Silicon Valley-based company, so there are also types of marketing and PR campaigns where the big guys can't compete with US. For the author, it's a matter of intelligently evaluating your book and its PR needs. I'd also note that we are a very personal publisher -- our authors have direct lines to the entire staff whether it's a technical, editorial or marketing. Plus, we are super fun!

Cindy from Spencer Hill: I would tell any author to do their research. If you’ve been offered a publishing contract with a small press, be sure you truly read the contract. Then have someone else, preferably an attorney, read the contract as well. Talk to other authors who have been published with them. Find out if they are happy with the marketing they received. Whether you’re signing with a big press or a small press, or even an agent, you should always inform yourself before making a final decision.

Heather at EP: Keep in mind that it’s a personal preference, but from what I’ve seen, there’s more time put into marketing/publicity in our smaller press house than in a larger publishing house. There is more camaraderie between the author, publisher, editor, and publicists, (and agents) and it seems like more of a collaboration between all of us.

Jaime at EP: It is a personal preference but, I feel that we give our authors more one on one attention than the bigger houses can. I know for myself at least I make myself available practically 24/7! I think that we have become one great big family who loves our authors and supports them fully.

There you have it. Four points of view about the role of publicity and marketing at various small presses. What do you think the most interesting pieces of information were in the last two days? Anything else that you are still dying to know? 

Small Press 411: Publicists Day 1

Before this series started, we asked you on twitter what you wanted to know most about small presses. The answer was a resounding plea for marketing information. Some people believed they knew exactly what kind of marketing authors get at a small press, while others were genuinely curious about the process. To answer your questions, we passed on your questions to our featured small presses. 

Today and tomorrow we have four wonderful publicists to answer your questions. Let's meet them: 

Kaamna, Senior Publicists at Coliloquy
Kaamna is the Director of Marketing and Publicity for Coliloquy. She is the author of  “The Giant Book of ‘How-To’ Lists for the New Dad” and the founder of Momaboard.com, a community for traveling parents. Kaamna is a writer, a dancer, a lover and sometimes a fighter. In her spare time she obsesses over karaoke and yoga, teaches Bollywood dance, and circles the globe with her two pint-size travel companions,  Karam and Kimaya.

Cindy Thomas, Senior Publicists at Spencer Hill Contemporary
Cindy grew up in rural North Carolina, where she first became addicted to writing when she won a contest in third grade. Although she has since moved, not much has changed. She still loves to write, and has a book with her at all times. She is the mother of two handsome boys, and the wife to one incredibly good looking husband. Three dogs, two guinea pigs, and an aquarium full of fish complete her super busy household. She started her journey to being a publicists by running a popular book book blog for the past five years, and loves her current role at the new imprint of Spencer Hill Press.

Heather Riccio, Publicity Director of Entangled Teen, Entangled New Adult, and digiTeen. 
Heather has been a publicist with Entangled since December 2011, and has done marketing/publicity with the Palm Springs International Film Festival since 2008. Her Masters degree is in Fiction Writing and her undergraduate degree is a double degree in English and Anthropology from University of California, Riverside. She also works for Bowker part-time as a market researcher, which keeps her up-to-date on book trends. On the side, Heather can also be found doing pro-bono work as the Director of Partnerships for Project Migration, a fashion accessories company with a charitable initiative, and as the Features Editor for Urbanette magazine. Her life-long goal is to work for Entangled and write at night! Find her on Twitter @HeatherRiccio

Jaime Arnold, Senior Publicist at Entangled
Jaime has been a publicist with Entangled since May 2012 but before that she was an intern helping out the editorial and the publicity departments. She is currently working with authors in both the adult and teen genres. She’s been with Entangled in some form or another since December 2011. She is also a book blogger and has had her blog for almost 2 years. She has built relationships with other bloggers as well as authors, publicists, and publishing houses. Jaime also review books for the San Francisco/Sacramento Book Review. In her past life she was a Band Manager, Hairstylist, and a Bartender. But she’s always been an avid reader. Find her on twitter @arnoldjaime13

What is the typical marketing/publicity plan for your books?

Kaamna from Coliloquy: Because we only sell electronic books, we concentrate our efforts on channels that have the most overlap with ebook readers. Depending on the subject matter and target audience of the series, we've deployed everything from official press releases and journalist/blogger outreach to investing in websites to creating social media or real-world community events. Our focus is to send authentic messages to people who will genuinely benefit from hearing them. 

Cindy from SHC: I don’t like to categorize any of our marketing plans as typical because I believe each author and book deserves their own specific plan and attention, but we do try to offer similar opportunities to every author we publish. Some of the more standard things we offer include book trailers, at least two types of swag, promotional blog tours, and blogger outreach, online and print advertisements, and appearances/signings at book conventions and other events local to the author.

Heather from EP: The marketing for an e-book is different from that of a print book. A print book requires months of planning, building up cover reveals, exclusives, and sending review copies out to big outlets like Seventeen, Cosmo, etc. An e-book is run a bit differently because we can’t do anything promo wise without buy links, once we have the buy links, we can start promoting and doing a blog tour and gathering up reviews from bloggers. We’ll set up events that involve either the author individually or as a whole line (EP Teen, Select, Brazen, Covet, Suspense, Bliss, Indulgence, etc.). 

Jaime from EP: What Heather said. We also do promotion for our books on our Facebook pages (Entangled Teen Facebook) and our Goodreads group as well. We also have advertising on sites like Romantic Times, Fresh Fiction, and Goodreads.

What role does your press take in developing and executing the plan? 

Kaamna from Coliloquy: We create the entire plan including everything from pitches to advertising spend. 

Cindy from SHC: At SH, we like to look at each author and book as an individual and plan their campaign as such. We don’t want any author to feel like they aren’t getting personal attention and we always try to listen to the author’s ideas. For instance, we are just about to sign a new author who has come to the table with tons of her own ideas for promotion on her book and I’m thrilled at the ideas she has. We really do try to tailor each marketing campaign for each book. This way we know that we’ve all done our very best to spread the word about our amazing books.

Heather from EP: Entangled’s marketing, publicity, and editorial department are all extremely involved in developing and executing the plan. It’s all about teamwork. You want everyone to love the book, not just the author, or the editor, or the publicist, everyone involved needs to love it, and be behind it. By planning extensively, we all are. 

Jaime from EP: Heather gets the cake for best answers! But here’s mine: we may all work from home (Best Job Ever, by the way) but we’re in constant contact with everyone from editorial, marketing and publicity, and the authors. We truly work as a team to get things done. 

How much involvement (if any) does your press expect from your authors? 

Kaamna from Coliloquy: Our authors are not required to do anything on their own, but we do request their availability and participation for interviews, etc. I will say that we have a few authors who are incredibly marketing savvy and have already built out their own author platforms, so in those cases, we've been happy to coordinate deeply with the authors' existing relationships.

Cindy from SHC: We love it when authors can be actively involved in the promotion of their own book. I enjoy working directly with my authors to coordinate events online and in person. It’s not always easy for authors to market themselves, but we are there to help give them that extra push. Readers may like hearing from the publishers from time to time, but we all know the true rock stars are the authors.

Heather from EP: I expect 50/50. I want the author to put in just as much time into their book and marketing as their team is. We all want the same thing, the book to be recognized and picked up. There is no I in Team, and this is all about teamwork one hundred percent!

Jaime from EP: I agree 50/50. If an author doesn’t help promote their book they will definitely see it in their numbers.  People love to connect with the authors; they don’t want their publicists doing all the talking/promotion for them. I know before I started working for Entangled the authors that I interacted with definitely got more support from me.

What kinds of publicity/marketing have worked the best for your press?

Kaamna from Coliloquy: Social media promotion has been a powerful tool for us, but we also think too many young publishers underestimate the power of a well-placed article. From the WSJ and The Atlantic to TechCrunch and HuffingtonPost, we've tracked significant sales from both on and off-line reporting. Again, our mantra is authentic messages for people who will genuinely benefit from hearing them.

Cindy from SHC: Some of my authors are extremely active and quite honestly, are marketing geniuses. They come to the table with wonderful ideas and know exactly how they want to be seen as an author. They plan unprompted giveaways and appearances. They take the initiative and aren’t afraid of throwing themselves out there for all to see. I love that!

Heather from EP: They have their own websites, swag, contests, etc. They attend conferences and do book signings. They interact with their fans, which I think is the most important.

Jaime from EP: I agree like I said above fan interaction is key. And not just talking about their books. I know some authors are very private but when you see them on twitter or Facebook talking about TV shows they love or even other books you just want to join in on that conversation.  The websites, contests and swag are really good too. 

Thank you, ladies. 

Come back tomorrow for some more time with our four publicists! 

Small Press 411: Authors Mary Gray, Rachel Harris and Heidi Kling

We have one more day of lovely small press authors. 

First up is Mary Gray, author of The Dollhouse Asylum which is out October 2013 with Spencer Hill Press. 

Mary Gray has a fascination with all things creepy. That’s why all her favorite stories usually involve panic attacks and hyperventilating. In real life, she prefers to type away on her computer, ogle over her favorite TV shows, and savor fiction. When she’s not immersed in other worlds, she and her husband get their exercise by chasing after their three children. The Dollhouse Asylum  is her first novel.

You can find Mary on her website and on twitter @MaryGrayTweets





Before you signed with Spencer Hill Press, did you have any ideas or notions about what small press publishing would be like? Has that proven to be true or false?

Admittedly, I was a little bit skeptical about working with a small press. Before I signed with my agent, I had a contract for a different book with a tiny press and didn't have the greatest experience. They were slow to answer my emails, never used the phone, and my editor didn't seem to know how to make holistic revisions at all. I actually grew so frustrated that I said never mind and shelved the book. I also saw that the book wasn't what I wanted my debut to be, so it actually all worked out in the end since THE DOLLHOUSE ASYLUM will make a much stronger debut for me. My experience with Spencer Hill has been vastly different. I'll explain more below.

 What made you submit to Spencer Hill Press?

 My former agent, Kat Salazar of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents, submitted to them. When she told me about the interest from one of their editors, she assured me they were a great press because her colleagues at the same agency had sold several books to them and had only had fabulous experiences.

 What has been the most surprising with SHP?

Not sure where to start! I get attention--so much attention--from emails, to texts, to tweets from my fabulous editor and publicist (not to mention the other authors and interns--we form a great family). And everyone is savvy, friendly, professional, and smart! I was worried my editor wouldn't know how to make those holistic changes, and Danielle couldn't be better at them. And Rich couldn't be better nailing those line edits. The whole system has made sense, with deadlines, and phone calls, and the give and take with edits. My only complaint is that I moved away from the east coast in time to sign with Spencer Hill (all the big team players seem to live over there). I never should have moved. I've had so much say on my cover (which couldn't have turned out better due to Danielle's help and Jeremy West's artistic genius) and they do ARCs! And listen to my promotional ideas! And believe in building MY career as an author. I couldn't be happier.

How would you rate your overall experience?

FABULOUS.

What would you say to writers considering small press publishing (and Spencer Hill in general)? 

We all want the million dollar advances. We all want to be the next big thing. Needless to say, those types of opportunities are limited. The large publishing houses have very small, specific lists they need filled. Small houses provide another avenue for authors to take. And if you find a press with an editor who REALLY knows how to edit, then what does it matter whether it came from fanciest-richest-most-bad-assery publishing house around or one that's a bit newer--AND has a fabulous reputation? Because, in the end, all that matters is bringing a great book to readers. Most of us go to the internet to find what to read, and guess what? Spencer Hill is mightily plugged into the web via bloggers, twitter, Facebook, Goodreads... and they're only growing bigger, so you better watch out!

~*~

NEXT UP, Rachel Harris, author of My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century out now with Entangled Teen.

As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels. As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends. When she's not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find her homeschooling her two beautiful princesses, hanging out with her amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate. 

MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY is her debut novel. She did have her own fantabulous Sweet Sixteen in high school. Sadly, it wasn't televised.  You can find Rachel on her website and on twitter @RachelHarrisYA.


Before you signed with Entangled Publishing, did you have any ideas or notions about what small press publishing would be like? Has that proven to be true or false?

Honestly, when I signed with Entangled, they were still very new. I didn’t have much to go on, other than that they seemed enthusiastic about my book and I had a really, really good feeling about where the company was going. That gut feeling only grew once I talked to my editor in detail, and got to know the other authors. And over the past year, well, there’s no doubt Entangled is made of awesome.

But yeah, probably in the back of my mind at the beginning was wondering if I was giving up the publicity and marketing help that I’d get with a bigger house. People would tell me that going with a smaller press wasn’t better than self-publishing. So going in, I was optimistic but curious. And I quickly learned that, for me at least, going with a smaller publisher was the best decision I could have ever made.

Our author loop is the most supportive place ever. Our publicists are crazy fabulous. Our editors rock. And Liz Pelletier has the heart of a teacher. She is transparent and real and honest with us in a way that is just refreshing and amazing. I’ve learned so much about the business from her and the rest of the Entangled staff.

So not only were any minor concerns I might’ve had proven false; they were drop kicked to the curb.

What made you submit to Entangled?

My agent submitted to them, including them in our first round. She had a great feeling about where they were going, too, and I’m very glad she did!

What has been the most surprising thing about being with Entangled? 

The family aspect. Every day our loop gets an Entangled Family email that includes all of the latest news and events our authors have, and we share that because we really are a family. We truly cheer each other on whenever anything remotely good happens, and if someone has a bad day or gets a bad review, everyone jumps in to lift them up. Our inboxes can get a little crazy at times because of all the love, but it’s a great problem to have.

I know if I have any questions about anything, I can turn to them and have an answer. Our authors are bestselling phenoms with a staggering amount of books and years of experience under their collective belts, and they are more than happy to share their wisdom with the group.


How would you rate your overall experience?

Fantabulously happy and exceeds all expectations.

What would you say to writers considering small press publishing, especially Entangled?

My advice would be for ANY publisher you are considering. Check out their website, look at the authors and type of books that publisher is selling. Does your work fit with their brand? Find out who their editors and staff are and Google any interviews they may have done in the past. Get a good feeling for the people you’ll be doing business with and for the company—and then listen to your gut. Also, if you know how, I always suggest reaching out to a few of their authors.

~*~

Finally, we have Heidi Kling, author of The Spellspinners of Melas County series out  now with Coliloquy!

Heidi R. Kling earned her MFA in Writing for Children from the New School, and is the author of multiple-award nominated novel Sea (Putnam/2010). She’s published short stories and essays to anthologies Truth & Dare(UK/US), The Visitor’s Guide to Mystic Falls (Smart Pop), and The First Time.  Heidi loves to obsess over young adult lit and pop culture, so make her day by visiting her on heidirkling.tumblr.com or on Twitter at @heidirkling. She lives with her family in Palo Alto, CA, near the real Black Mountain and coastal towns much like Melas County. She hasn’t spotted a warlock in real life. Yet.


Before you signed with Coliloquy, did you have any ideas or notions about what small press publishing would be like? Has that proven to be true or false?

I didn't think about Coliloquy being a "small press" when I signed my Spellspinners of Melas County series with them. I thought of them more as innovative, start-up, boutique--I live in Palo Alto, so the whole idea of a successful tech start-up is obviously the norm here. Essentially, Lisa Rutherford, Fab CEO, pitched it as a modern day "Choose Your Own Adventure." I had an offer from one of the Big 6 for the first book (which was, essentially, the first three installments of Spellspinners), but went with Lisa because of the innovative way she'd publish my series. As a planned 10-book series, is not insignificant.

What has been the most surprising thing about being with Coliloquy? 

It's not a surprise, because if I didn't trust my decision to go with them, I wouldn't have done it, but what I love is my autonomy and flexibility. Ten books under contract at one of the Big Six, first of all, just doesn't happen. I have two young children and I'm heavily involved with their upbringing so being under constant deadline would be too stressful for our lifestyle. I just couldn't do it. Because Coliloquy is e-books, I can have an extra month to work on a first draft if I need it. And because Lisa is amazingly creative and insightful, I can run anything by her from marketing ideas to plot stickiness to a Con I'd like to attend. Coliloquy--all of their staff, are so friendly and helpful and just lovely. The books are shorter than traditional books, so that's another thing I like. Also, we're able to play with POV, Choice Points, little games, and my favorite, Grandma Rose's journey which fades as a techie "magic trick". This press is perfect fit for this series. I'm grateful and happy to be with them. 

What would you say to writers considering small press publishing, especially Coliloquy?

I say think about your story and what publisher would best fit its needs. My next novel might fit better at a Big 6, and that would be amazing! I love traditional publishing, too. I love paper books. And bookstores. Again, it's not Big Press vs. Small Press. It's the Right Press for your story. Also, please get an agent before you start submitting. Your agent will place your hard work in hands of the right editor. That's their job. :)

Small Press 411: Authors Nicola Marsh, Jennifer Walkup and Jennifer Iacopelli

Part of our plan to give you information is an insider's view of the small press world. Today and tomorrow we welcome some wonderful small press authors who volunteered to share their experiences with our featured small presses. Enjoy!

First up, Jennifer Walkup, author of Second Verse coming from Luminis Books October 2013!

When Jennifer Walkup isn’t writing or reading, she’s spending time with her husband and young sons, listening to Red Hot Chili Peppers, and coming up with costume ideas for Halloween. She’s obsessed with good coffee and new recipes and likes broccoli on her pizza, flowers in her hair, flip-flops on her feet, and the number 13. A member of SCBWI and RWA, Jennifer also serves as fiction editor for The Meadowland Review and teaches creative writing at The Writers Circle. Second Verse is her first novel. You can find Jennifer on twitter @JennWalkup.

Before you signed with Luminis Books, did you have any ideas or notions about what small press publishing would be like? Has that proven to be true or false? What made you submit to your Luminis Books?

Over the years I’ve watched friends publish in all sorts of ways: big 6, independent, mid-sized and self-published. I knew there was no one universal publishing experience and was both anxious and excited to throw my hat, er, book, into the ring.

I had been working on my young adult thriller, Second Verse, for a few years. I was in a unique position because I had just parted ways with my agent around the time Second Verse was really ready for editors. I had to decide – did I want to query agents again or did I want to query editors at independent presses directly? After some soul searching and research, I decided on the latter. And I’m glad I did!

I didn’t know exactly what to expect as I’ve heard all sorts of publishing stories, but I did my homework before querying and made sure to choose publishers that had a professional standing and vibe and ones I’d heard good things about. I bought books put out by the publishers I considered, taking care to check out the style and quality of design and editing. Deciding to go small pub was something I considered for a while before actually taking the plunge.

What has been the most surprising with Luminis Books?

Most surprising would probably be the marketing plan. Luminis has given me a publicist to work with and now that we’re getting close to ARCs being ready (squee!) we’re starting to work on the marketing plan for Second Verse. We're talking about all sorts of exciting things – reviewers, blog tours, book tours, trade shows, various press opportunities, school and bookstore visits, libraries, giveaways. Plus, it’s all very collaborative and cooperative. Lots of creative ideas getting bounced around.

There have been a lot of other great things about working with Luminis, too. My editor and the rest of the team are extremely professional. I love being able to banter back and forth on email or by phone to work out a plot point. And being able to ask any question and get a prompt and knowledgeable answer is fantastic.

Of course I have no basis for comparison as this is my debut novel, but the idea of small presses doing no marketing or no editing has not proved true for me at all thus far!

How would you rate your overall experience?

So far, so good! I’ve been thrilled and blessed to work with an editor that has a hawk’s eye for detail, is patient, responsive, incredibly thorough and really nice to boot. So far, it’s been a dream!

What would you say to writers considering small press publishing?

Consider all your options. There are so many paths to choose from and it really is such a personal decision. Different things work for different writers and different books. For me, a small press has been really great thus far. So I guess my advice would be to take your time and figure out what works best for you before deciding, but most definitely do not dismiss the small press option!

~*~

Next we have, Nicola Marsh. Check out her Goodreads page for all of her amazing books!

USA TODAY bestselling Aussie author Nicola worked as a physiotherapist for thirteen years before she tired of saying "I'm going to write a book one day" and actually did it. She started writing late 2001 and found once she started she couldn't stop! Also a Waldenbooks and Bookscan bestseller, she has finalled in several awards including the prestigious HOLT (Honoring Outstanding Literary Talent), Booksellers' Best, Golden Quill, Laurel Wreath, More than Magic and won several CataRomance Reviewers' Choice Awards. 

Nicola loves the hip, vibrant, cosmopolitan vibe of her home city, Melbourne, where she's set the bulk of her novels, highlighting fabulous cultural and food havens like Acland Street (St. Kilda), Brunswick Street (Fitzroy) and Lygon Street (Carlton). When she's not writing she's busy raising her two little heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, cheering on her beloved North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team or her favourite past time, curling up with a good book. You can find her on her website!


Before you signed with Month9Books, did you have any ideas or notions about what small press publishing would be like? Has that proven to be true or false? 

 Before I signed with M9B I'd already signed on with Entangled Publishing before they'd even launched, so I had a fair idea what small press publishing would be like. In Entangled's case, it has been incredibly exciting to be on board right from the very beginning and watch the company grow, and I'm seeing a similar excitement with M9B. My expectations have been proven true so far: I expect professionalism, to be kept informed and excellent royalty rates. 

 What made you submit to Month9Books? 

Two words: Georgia McBride. I'm addicted to Twitter and have been a member of YALitChat for a while, so when I saw Georgia had launched her own company (and the agented sales being made to M9B via Publishers Marketplace), I checked out the publishing guidelines and thought Scion of the Sun would be perfect for M9B. I had the book on submission with other publishers at the time but when the offer came through from Georgia, her vision for the book matched her enthusiasm and I signed up. 

What has been the most surprising with Month9Books? 

 The speed with which they're growing and developing. For a small publisher, there are some exciting announcements in the works and they keep coming. Once again, I draw parallels with Entangled Publishing, who followed a similar trajectory. It's empowering as an author to be part of fast-growing companies with a vision. 

 How would you rate your overall experience? 

 Excellent. M9B sends regular updates to their authors, keeping them abreast of developments. The editing has been fantastic (after publishing 38 books elsewhere, I've had my fair share of editors!) and the PR machine is hard-working, dedicated and enthusiastic. M9B is a modern company moving with the times and it's exciting to be along for the ride.  

What would you say to writers considering Month9, or small press publishing in general? 

This applies to all publishers, not just small press: Do your research. Be business savvy. Make informed decisions. With the digital publishing boom, there are many small publishers springing up everywhere so care must be taken before signing over your book and possibly your rights. I subscribed to Publishers Marketplace, which is a an excellent way to keep an eye on agents and publishers. Sure, not all agents report deals to PM but it's a start. Stating the obvious, but Google extensively. Check out the small press. Their employees. Watch for red flags. And once that publishing offer arrives, research even more carefully. Contracts should be scrutinized (literary attorneys are a good investment), paying particular attention to option clauses and non-compete clauses, which can restrict you from publishing elsewhere.

~*~

Finally, we have me! Jennifer Iacopelli, author of GAME. SET. MATCH. coming from Coliloquy on May 1, 2013!

Jennifer Iacopelli was born in New York and has no plans to leave...ever. Growing up, she read everything she could get her hands on, but her favorite authors were Laura Ingalls Wilder, L.M. Montgomery and Frances Hodgson Burnett all of whom wrote about kick-ass girls before it was cool for girls to be kick-ass. She got a Bachelor's degree in Adolescence Education and English Literature quickly followed up by a Master's in Library Science, which lets her frolic all day with her books and computers, leaving plenty of time in the evenings to write and yell at the Yankees, Giants and her favorite tennis players through the TV. You can find Jennifer on her website and on twitter @JenniferCarolyn.


Before you signed with Coliloquy, did you have any ideas or notions about what small press publishing would be like? Has that proven to be true or false?

I'd done a little research, but honestly, I was so new to the game and it all happened so fast, I didn't really have time to think about it. What I DO know is now that I've signed with them, most of the stereotypical notions about small presses and digital only pubs are not true when it comes to Coliloquy.

What made you submit to Coliloquy?

I like to joke that I submitted to Coliloquy by accident, although that's not exactly true. I'm a member of YALitChat.org and each month they hold a "Submissions Mailbox where a vetted handful of submissions are sent to a panel of agents and editors for consideration. I wasn't submitting to small presses or any presses at all at that point because I definitely wanted to sign with an agent and I didn't want to limit my eventual agent's options down the road by submitting to presses on my own. 

I got several requests from that Submissions Mailbox, one was from my eventual agent, Michelle Wolfson, another from Lisa Rutherford at Coliloquy. 

Clearly, it's the best accident that's ever happened to me.


 What has been the most surprising with Coliloquy?

The most surprising thing has been the level of editorial support. Everyone always says that small presses do not have the same editorial process as the Big 6 publishers. That's simply not true when it comes to Coliloquy. My editor, Melanie Murray-Downing, is a vastly experienced editor (formerly of a Big 6 publishing house) and in talking to my friends who have Big 6 deals, the process she's taking me through is easily comparable.

How would you rate your overall experience?

It's been incredible. Throughout the revision process I feel like I've become a much better writer and I'm learning so much about the publishing industry.

What would you say to writers considering Coliloquy (and small presses in general)? 

Consider all of your options carefully, if you have an agent, run everything by him or her. If you don't have representation, hop on twitter and/ or join a writer's group then ask as many questions as possible. There are positives and negatives to every option out there (Big Six, Small Press, Self-Pub) and they are all viable options. One of them is right for you! To those who are considering Coliloquy, I HIGHLY recommend them for their professionalism, their dedication to putting out the best books possible and their innovation in publishing's rapidly shifting marketplace.

Small Press 411: Entangled Publishing

Bio: Liz Pelletier is co-founder and managing partner of Savvy Media Services, which owns Savvy Authors, Savvy Readers, and Entangled Publishing. In addition to running a successful online writing community, Liz teaches courses on editing, query writing, and contract negotiations. She has also held board positions for various writing associations, managed and organized several writing conferences, and hosted a variety of free educational workshops for aspiring and established authors. Although she served part-time for twenty years as the editor for a broadly-circulated, weekly industry newspaper, she ran her own successful freelance consulting business for more than twenty years, often hired to leverage technological advances and more efficient workflow designs to increase profit margins. She uses these same skills to oversee all aspects of book production and distribution at Entangled. Liz also maintains her own stable of authors whom she either personally edits or works with an Associate Editor as a guiding influence and mentor. Find her on Twitter at @Liz_Pelletier. 

  Why does Entangled Publishing exist? 

Entangled Publishing is a boutique publisher of romantic novels. We are committed to paying our authors a fair royalty for their talent and hard work, and equally committed to paying our employees similarly. All of our employees earn a percentage of book sales and are therefore motivated to make each and every book an extraordinary read.

What’s your process of deciding to take on a project? 

We consider the voice, concept, and market for each title before we make an offer to acquire. Occasionally we acquire a book solely based on voice, knowing the story will require extra editing time to flesh out. Or we may love a concept and feel we can really sell that to our sales force at Macmillan. Or we might feel this particular genre is hot right now or will be soon, and we want to capitalize on this expectation. The perfect storm is when we find a submission with all three!

What do you think is the biggest misconception surrounding small presses? 

The biggest misconception surrounding small presses is that the effort put into every book is small. Quite the contrary. Our lists are smaller, making every book we publish important to the overall success of the company.

What are the benefits of publishing with a small press? What are the disadvantages? 

Some of the greatest advantages of publishing with a small press is they typically pay higher royalties, they're motivated to not let a title underperform, and you can usually communicate directly with anyone on your team. Some disadvantages though are marketing budgets are not as large as NY's can be, nor is the distribution reach in print equal with NY's market penetration.

What’s the biggest advantage between signing with Entangled (or another press) and self-publishing? What about signing with EP and a big/medium sized house? 

The biggest advantage Entangled has over a self-publishing decision is you have an entire team dedicated to making your book a success with a wide variety of toolsets and market intelligence. Self-published authors often forget to add value to their time, assuming if they earned $10,000 in revenue on their book it was all profit. Not true. Your time has value as do the additional expenses you may have incurred to produce your title such as hiring an editor, buying stock images for your blog tour buttons, etc but also including simply the number of hours you spent producing your title. For about what you'd spend on your own you gain an entire team doing that work for you and freeing the author up to do what they do best: write. Now, if a book takes off and sales grow substantially they would have certainly netted more self-publishing, but wouldn't we all kill for a crystal ball to know which book is going to be the next 50 Shades?

Many of our authors also employ a dual strategy of signing with Entangled as well as a NY publisher. We often encourage this strategy as NY comes with bigger marketing budgets and market reach on print books, so the author greatly benefits from having two publishers helping simultaneously develop their brand. For young adult authors especially, this is a smart strategy. In general, authors should always to try to sign their next book with a larger, not smaller, publisher. Being spread out across multiple micro publishers is rarely a smart career plan as no one publisher has enough titles with you to bump your marketing budget.

What do you think the biggest obstacle an author at Entangled (or another press) has to face?

Balancing the many hats an author must wear: writer, marketer, public persona. No matter which press you decide to publish with, authors will be wearing all of these hats in varying degrees.

A lot of people say small presses are only a stepping-stone to the "big six." What role do you think Entangled fills in the publishing world?

I'd like to think we're an alternative to "big six". ; )

Does Entangled still see sales in print books--or are sales more prominent in e-book?

One quarter of Entangled's revenue last was in print sales. The biggest difference we're seeing is a handful of books were profitable in print, but those that were more than made up for the losses with the other titles. It's definitely more difficult to be successful in print.

What is your marketing system?

We have a huge marketing department of more than 30 professionals serving in a variety of capacities from junior publicist to senior to publicity directors, branding specialists, an art director overseeing an art department (advertising and covers), etc. Each participant plays a distinct and important role in marketing and publicizing our authors' books.

What is the editing process at Entangled? 

We use the standard three pass editing process popular in NY, but we also utilize a required Q&A step in which every editorial director reviews and critiques a book prior to release. Editors are required to evaluate these comments and incorporate necessary changes into the final work before it is sent off to copy editors. Then we have galley proofs and proof readers.

What is your ratio of print books to e-books?

We have 12 imprints, two of which are print.

Does signing with a small press inhibit an author from signing with a bigger press later? What about an agent?

No, it doesn't. Many authors sign with smaller presses to help them build a platform before they become more attractive to NY.

Small Press 411: Luminis Press

Please welcome Tracy Richardson of Luminis Books! 

Bio: Tracy Richardson lives in Indiana with her family and their Jack Russell terrier, Ernie. When her children started reading, she rediscovered her childhood favorites and began developing stories of her own. Images from growing up on Lake Michigan feature prominently in her novels, and sometimes bits and pieces of actual people and events—with the names changed to protect the innocent!

Why does Luminis exist?

Luminis Books was launched because we saw a growing gap in what the big publishers provide to new authors. It’s an under-served segment of the market. Larger publishers focus on the blockbuster model which doesn’t serve the ‘emerging voice’ of the new author. Also, we simply love books and publish what we love – literary fiction and YA and middle grade fiction.  

What’s your process of deciding to take on a project?

First it has to fit into our publishing model – Meaningful Books That Entertain. Then we determine if we like the concept and story. If it meets those criteria, we evaluate the writing.  

What do you think is the biggest misconception surrounding small presses?

Often authors think that getting a contract with a small publisher means they won’t get the same kind of exposure as with a big house when in fact, at Luminis Books, we consider our authors part of our ‘family’ and work that much harder to get exposure. Luminis Books is our business, not just our employer, and it is important to us to continue to support our backlist titles and new releases.  

What are the benefits of publishing with a small press? What are the disadvantages?

Authors get more personalized attention with small presses and the life-span of their book is much longer. At Luminis Books we continually look for opportunities to showcase our backlist. A disadvantage could be name recognition of the publisher at reviewers and trade shows or with librarians, but this improves the longer the imprint has been in business.

What’s the biggest obstacle a small press author has to face? The biggest obstacle for any author is finding the audience for your book and getting the attention of readers and librarians and independent bookstores.  

What role does Luminis Books fill other than being a stepping-stone to the “Big 6/5/4”?

Small presses take risks on new authors and types of books that larger houses may not take. We are more nimble and able to adapt to market and get books to press much faster. Just as many independent bookstores are thriving while the big box stores fail, independent publishers are also thriving.  

What’s the biggest advantage between signing with Luminis Books and self-publishing?

What about signing with your press and a big/medium sized house? Self-publishing is ‘pay-to-play.’ Legitimate independent publishers pay the author royalties and pay all up-front costs of public relations, marketing, reviews, trade shows, book printing, etc. Self-published authors are published, but do their books sell or get noticed?  

Do you think there will still be sales in print books? Or are sales more prominent in e-book?

Just as on-line shopping didn’t spell the demise of the mall and shopping in person, there will always be people who want a printed book. Some avid readers have the same book in print, audio and ereader!  

How much marketing does Luminis do for their authors?

We submit our books to all the major reviewers, print reviewers, bloggers, radio, etc. We arrange book tours and attend trade shows. We contact key librarians, independent bookstores and school libraries. In many ways we do far more for our books than the big houses because each book is more important to us.

Is there much editing?

Yes, but the amount of editing is dependent on the book!

What is your ratio of print books to eBooks?

Every book we publish is both print and eBook.  

Do you want your authors to do their own marketing?

Anything and everything that the author can do to promote the book will help is sales. We consider it a partnership and work together with the author and publicist on the marketing campaign.  

How do your authors get noticed?

Reviews, speaking engagements, blog tours, book tours, on-line presence in social media, marketing to libraries and bookstores and direct to consumers.  

Does signing with a small press inhibit you signing with a bigger press later? What about an agent?

We work with both agented and un-agented authors. I would think it would help in both cases, but might not be in the author’s best interest to switch to a big house!  

Anything else you would like to add?

We hear from many agents that working with larger houses is so much more difficult than working with Luminis Books. Larger houses do not devote marketing or publicity budgets to less important books and your title is just one of many. Authors often have the misguided notion that they need to be on the shelves of a big box store and with a big publishing name, but they don’t realize that being on the shelves of a bookstore doesn’t mean that your book will sell.

 It is far better to be on the shelves of a bookseller who will hand sell your book or at a library who will not return the book. Librarians and independent booksellers also network and talk about great new books and support small, independent publishers. We see our authors as partners in our business. When their book does really well, we all win.

Thank you for stopping by, Tracy! 

Okay. Now you've heard from five small presses. What are your thoughts, questions, concerns? 

Small Press 411: Coliloquy

Happy Wednesday!! Please welcome Lisa Rutherford of Coliloquy!

Bio: Lisa Rutherford is Coliloquy’s co-founder and CEO. She is delighted to be bringing her years of start-up experience “home” to her roots in writing. Previously, Lisa founded Elodie Partners and served as the President of virtual economy pioneer, Twofish (acquired by Live Gamer), and as a venture capitalist with In-Q-Tel, Vista Ventures, and Palo Alto Venture Partners. She ran her own freelance writing and marketing agency and worked in M&A at Broadview. Outside of Coliloquy, Lisa serves as an adviser to BulletTime Ventures, Boulder Digital Works, and several start-ups, as well as a mentor for the TechStars program. She was named an AlwaysON Top 25 Women to Watch in Tech. Lisa has an MBA from Stanford University, an MA from the University of Chicago, and a BA from the Penn State University Scholars Program. Lisa bought her first Sony PRS-500 in 2006 and has read over 600 ebooks across a rotation of devices. She currently carries a Kindle keyboard and swears by it for her crossword puzzle habit. Waynn never gave her a copy of Consider the Lobster, but she did download it based on his recommendation. Instead of children’s books, she’s been reading romance manuscripts and tech blogs to her baby. She missed Paul Carr and is glad Sarah lured him back.

Why does your press exist?

We believe that the eBook revolution should be about more than just electronic distribution and “enhancing” books with multimedia or social experiences. A tech-based reading infrastructure should also enable both business and artistic innovation within the book itself. Coliloquy exists to help authors write new types of stories, engage with readers in new and different ways, and open up revenue opportunities we never could have dreamed of even two years ago...all based on a cutting edge content management system.  

What’s your process of deciding to take on a project?

First and foremost, we are concerned with the quality of the story. Our editorial team reads and discusses submissions, just like any other publishing house. However, we also have a second layer of analysis: Is there something about this story or this author that makes particular sense for us to be the publisher? Usually, that means there is something fluid about the narrative structure (embedded choices, personalization, customization, live-updating, multiple readers, etc.), but we have also acquired traditional novels that are well-suited to different types of promotion models.  

What do you think is the biggest misconception surrounding small presses?

I wouldn’t call it a misconception, per se, but I hate it when small presses are confused with either scammy presses (taking advantage of authors with ridiculous fees and low quality services) or fake presses (set up by an author who wants to legitimize her self-published novel).   

What’s the biggest obstacle a small press author has to face?

Noise and distraction in the market. Until the large distributors fix their recommendations and discovery engines, it is hard for small presses to rise about the noise.  

What role does the small press fill other than being a stepping-stone to the “Big 6/5/4”?

Innovation and speed. There are so many things we can do that the big guys can’t, and we can do it much faster than they can.  

Do you think there will still be sales in print books? Or are sales more prominent in e-book?

I do believe that adult fiction will continue to move to electronic formats. But I am more skeptical of that trend in children’s publishing, only because there are so many benefits to print books that we haven’t been able to replicate with technology (the dexterity of lift-the-flap books, the awe of pop-ups, cuddle time while someone reads to you...)  

How much marketing do small presses do for their authors?

We work our asses off. :-)

 Is there much editing at a small press?

At Coliloquy, there is an enormous amount. We have amazing editors, led by industry veteran Melanie Murray Downing.  

Do you want your authors to do their own marketing?

We do not expect our authors to do their own marketing, but we have best results when the authors are engaged with our team. I have several examples of authors bringing opportunities to us through their connections, and we have always happily funded travel, expenses, etc. Anything to sell the book.  

How do your authors get noticed? What sort of marketing and publicity initiatives does your press generally offer?

From official press releases to guerrilla marketing and community engagement, and everything in between, we run the gamut of publicity initiatives to get our books sold.

In your view, does signing with a small press inhibit someone from signing with a bigger house later?

All but two of our 30 authors are also under contract with the Big 5/4/6 whatever the number is today.

Thanks so much, Lisa! 

What other questions do you have about Coliloquy? Were any of these answers surprising? Chime in!