My Journey to Print--Michelle Klear

MY JOURNEY TO PRINT


By Michelle Berardo Klear

ShellySunshine


Every writer in print has a unique story. It is a personal journey that starts in the writer’s heart. It is born from a fire to share and be known. I am no different. I wanted to get my poetry in print so I could see my accomplishment. I wanted to share my childhood and discovery of life and love.

I kept hearing about self-publishing but I will be honest, I really wanted someone to come along and offer me a contract and take a risk on me. I didn’t want to spend my own money on my book. I also realized that a book of poetry is not as easy to sell as a novel.

I wasn’t going to give up without at least trying, so my first step was to find an agent. I went searching on the web and I found, The Poets Literacy Agency. I sent off a few poems and waited to hear back. I was so excited when they liked my poems and asked for more. It was a back and forth conversation, that lasted for several months.

Finally, I was accepted but not without having to pay for a Critique of my collection. For $74.00 I wrote a check and sent in my manuscript to the Writer’s Literary Critique Administration. My coach Jennifer Leigh, went through my collection and highlighted poems that needed to be deleted from the collection and gave me advice to compact what I had submitted. It was an awesome help.

This whole process lasted several months but when I was finished, I felt I had a very strong manuscript and I was ready to meet some potential publishers. Poets Literacy Agency offered an Aggressive Agent Program that would pitch the book to large publishing companies for a cost of $99.00. I took it.

My book was declined, and I was losing hope of ever being published by a well-known publishing house, I started to think about self-publishing but I really wanted more than that. I knew I would want help with Marketing and Advertising. I have been in sales in the past and had no interest in getting back into sales, just for my book.

That is when the offer came in to submit my manuscript to Strategic Book Publishing Company. My agent at the Poets Literacy Agency told me it would be my best chance of getting into print. Strategic Books is part of AEG or Eloquent Publishing.

They could not offer me a full contract, because they did not think my book would sell the minimum of 5,000 units in the first 12 months. They did however offer me a Joint Venture Publishing contract. Which is a 50/50 venture, I spend 50 percent and they spend 50 percent. They do the printing and marketing and advertisement. I pay a onetime fee of $675.00 and 40% of each book printed. That means 60% of the profit of every book printed comes back to me.

They will set up an Author’s website for me to purchase my books, so I won’t have to pay Amazon fees. That has not been set up as of yet, the book is in its final stage of printing and they are expecting me to get my first copy before the New York Book Expo. The expo is in May and they will showcase my book with all the other books that they have printed in the last year. The marketing cost of $250.

I do know that this process is far from finished and I haven’t seen a copy of the work in print. Up to this stage, I have been very pleased. I have seen the copy of the book cover and I have seen the printed manuscript. What I haven’t seen is the book in my hands!

So this journey to print is not a cheap one, but if I am not willing to spend the money on myself, how can I ever expect anyone else to? If you are thinking of self-publishing I would recommend you have a budget and know your expectations on marketing.

Thank you and good luck!

After reading this, if you have a question, leave it for Michelle in the forum we set up for this:

ID: 1532032   (Rated: E) Publishing Exchange  A NEW place for Emerging Writers and Published Authors to communicate. by Gabriella

March 7, 2009

ShellySunshine

© Copyright 2007 Michelle Berardo Klear (UN: michelleklear at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.