I have been very neglectful lately where this blog is
concerned and that is not the only mistake that I have made since my adventure
into publishing began back in 2010. The story I want to tell you today is that
of my biggest mistake to date and to give others a heads up so that they can
avoid the same pit fall.
In 2009 and 2010 I spent a lot of time and money sending my
manuscript for my first book, The Deep Black Pond, to many publishers and
agents all over the country and in Europe. I received many rejection letters
before it was finally accepted, then a few weeks later another publisher
wanting to publish that same book contacted me. I told them that I had already
signed a contract with someone else but I had just finished and new manuscript
for my second book, The Gray Garden, and I asked if they would like first
refusal on it. They accepted and to my complete surprise they wanted to publish
it. I could not believe my luck! That was where the good feeling ended. That
Publisher was Publish America.
Even up until the book was released there were problems and
after The Gray Garden came out the problems seemed to grow. The biggest being
that no one seemed to be able to buy my book. I was, many times, contacted by
people wanting to get a copy and could not. The on line channels did not seem
to work. And even when I knew for sure that some copies had been ordered
Publish America (now called America Star Books) reported that they had not had any orders. For anyone who has
had a problem getting my work I am truly sorry and if you would like to contact
my directly I will try to make it right. I have tried for a long time to make
the best of it and have tried to convince myself that I did not know enough
about publishing and that maybe things like this just were normal issues. Well,
four years later I do know better. I do not want to go on at this point;
instead I am attaching an article so that you can draw your own conclusions.
http://timetowrite.blogs.com/weblog/2014/01/considering-publishing-with-star-america-beware.html
Good Luck and keep writing. (and Beware)
Morgan
