Every day I work as a publisher I find new and wonderful things to be amazed with. I’d like to share with you, a few snippets from a letter I received today from an author who wished to submit to us. For anyone wondering, our submission guidelines are clearly posted at http://echelonpress.wordpress.com/submit/ .
Said author made a few requests.
“In light of your company’s size and lack of public demand, I feel it is in my best interest to request that upon acquisition of my work, I be allowed the following:
1) A minimum $2500 advance against the royalties. I will need this money to implement my promotional efforts.
2) A minimum marketing budget provided by your company for $5000 per year.
3) A domain and blog hosted and maintained by your company.
4) A representative who will coordinate my personal appearances. I will make myself available for one event per quarter.
5) Confirmation that your company will acquire the related projects following the initial book. The series is currently projected as 5 books.
I thank you for your consideration in this matter and look forward to working with you.”
So, let me get this straight. You, an unpublished author, wish to single-handedly run my business into the ground with your unsolicited greed and lack of professional knowledge on how the publishing industry actually works?
Okay, I’ll consider it…snort!
Journey of the Heart 
I had to read her demands twice to actually absorb the absurdity.
I’ve been laughing about this all week 🙂
Must be a lawyer. Most of us unpublished authors are just happy to be considered for publishing. Especially in a recession. Always enjoy reading your blog Karen and look forward to more treats.
Reggie
Um, WOW.
Can we spell ‘a-r-r-o-g-a-n-t’??
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The sender must have been counting on slow mail service. Surely that query was meant to arrive on April 1.
It would be interesting to have an informal conversation with her (meaning casual coffee house talk, without her knowing I work with and for Echelon) to listen to her reasoning behind her terms. I agree that it is greed, and a bit narcissistic but I wonder if these are all that is behind her desires. From where did she get the ideas this is what to ask, this is what to put in a query letter, this is what to expect from a publisher?
The thing that concerns me the most is that I hear rumblings like this all the time. I thought this was a bit timely considering a discussion I have been participating in over at Marc Vun Kannon’s blog. http://authorguy.wordpress.com/2010/10/30/sfwa/
I know authors deserve fair terms, but shouldn’t those terms also be fair to the publisher? I mean, it is our money after all.
Here is where I think you haven’t thought through all of the delicious possibilities of having a narcissist megalomaniac on contract with your firm. Okay, I’m kidding.
No. Way.