Wordpill Blog

New Europe Books, which is publishing my first novel next year, has but one full time employee in their office, yet they have a sales force of hundreds. That’s what happens as a result of the increasing partnership of small, independent publishers who sign on for distribution deals with giant conglomerates like Random House (New Europe’s distributor). It is an association that works for both parties: the indie publisher has access a huge sales force and can be sure to get their titles in brick and mortar bookstores nationally; the corporate giant gets to participate in the niche publishing that these days it increasingly eschews for mainstream titles.

We have seen this before, in the record industry. Instead of killing music publishing, the digital revolution has shattered it; and now most music worth listening to is put out by tiny labels, many of which are distributed by large brand-name companies. This allows for vibrant local scenes that also have access to larger customer bases. New Europe is picking up on that dynamic, concentrating on writers who take their inspiration from the countries the former Soviet Bloc comprise, a population of writer rarely seen on mainstream presses.

The risk for the indie publishing company is that they are committed to larger print runs than they may be financially comfortable with. Anything under 4,000 won’t interest a company like Random House, and – to be honest – 4,000 copies is ambitious for the debut of any literary author. Furthermore, the indie has to commit to printing upwards of 200 expensive galley copies for the sales force to read before championing the title. The payoff is in the credibility a company like Random House confers on the indie and, hopefully, in increased sales.

What does this mean to an author? Only time will tell if it is the best of both worlds, but right now, by working with an indie publisher as a first time author, I have say in two vital aspects that are traditionally contractually the realm of the publisher: the book title and book cover. Many writers are surprised to learn that they don’t have exclusive control over what their book is titled. Nor do they have much of a say in the cover art. With New Europe, both these aspects are shared decisions between the publisher and myself. This, of course, makes me happy, though I am now thinking like a big publisher in regards to what is most salable in terms of title and cover image. As problems go, that is not a bad one.

Matt Henderson Ellis is a freelance  manuscript editor and author coach working with writers who publish in print and digitally.

Because the term author coach means different things to different people, here are some of the types of author coaches I have found in my research on the topic.

THE ALL IN ONE AUTHOR COACH

This person functions as a mini-publishing company. They are really more of a self-publishing consultant than a coach. Primarily, they guide you through the bare bones of writing a book, consult and offer resources for book design, but more importantly, assist in the publication and marketing of print editions of the book. These author coaches are ideal for experts in a specific field who want to have a book on offer when they are lecturing or holding events.

THE AGENT/AUTHOR COACH

With the consolidating and shrinking market for print, agents are now getting into the field of helping authors self-publish, and acting as author coaches. This seems to represent a conflict of interest (how does an agent turn away the manuscript of an author they had coached?) but, on the other hand, agents read manuscripts every day and know what works and what doesn’t.

THE WRITERS’ AUTHOR COACH

This is where Word Pill falls. This kind of coaching focuses solely on the manuscript and the obstacles that are keeping the writer from making it the strongest it can be. This type of author coach has a deep understanding of narrative structure and empathy for the problems and insecurities writers face when approaching the material. Working closely with the text and author, the object is to bring a novel, memoir, or non-fiction manuscript to completion using traditional manuscript editing, firm deadlines, and personal motivation. For a few case studies, see the articles Adventures of an Author Coach, and Adventures of an Author Coach 2.

Matt Henderson Ellis is a freelance  manuscript editor and author coach working with writers who publish in print and digitally.

Or, Irony, what irony?

A short, sweet announcement: My novel LUMPEN, which I self-published for Kindle almost a year ago, was accepted for print publication by a small, ambitious publishing house in the States. Details to come. Print lives on, and so do certain stubborn dreams.

Well, I couldn’t be happier to announce that my YA fantastical novel Petra K and the Blackhearts is available for purchase on Amazon, here. You will need a Kindle, or to install free kindle software for your PC here, and Mac here.  The novel description is as follows:

Miniaturized show-dragons whose futures are traded like stocks, automatons with minds of their own, a palace haunted by alchemists, and a neighborhood that is home to criminals and sorcerers alike. Welcome to the world of the Black Hearts, a gang of children bound together by the need to survive in a brutal world where the powers that be are especially cruel to those who do not conform to their authoritarian rule. Based in legends of ‘magic Prague’ and in the reality of its former Socialist regime, the trilogy focuses on ten-year-old Petra K, the daughter of a shut-in mother, who becomes the master of a dragonka that everybody in the city of Pava wants to get their hands on. In the complicated world of sorceresses, gypsies, child gangs, and secret police, Petra K needs to decide who to trust, and who to betray in order to keep herself and her pet safe. But revolution is in the air, and Petra K too is caught up in its pull, becoming separated from her family, and aligning herself with the Black Hearts. During this dark chapter of Pava’s history, magic is banned and personal freedoms are stripped. Only the Black Hearts dare to defy the new dictator’s rule, selling potions to survive, while thwarting the government’s effort’s to further oppress Pava. Along with the Black Hearts, Petra K faces a murderous pack of mechanical dragonka, a phantom secret agent, and, most harrowing, her own weaknesses as she transforms from an impassive follower into a child revolutionary. Will the Black Hearts’ adventures and courage inspire the terrified population of the city to rise up again, and return Pava to a place of prosperity, where dragonka run free?