Category Archives: Writing

A Funny Thing Happened…

Posted on August 16, 2011 | 5 comments

Well, okay it wasn’t very funny, but I thought I worth mentioning. Recently, I have had a lot of people wanting me to tell them how wonderful being a publisher is. They want to know all about the glamorous trips to meet authors, the cocktail parties, the dinners with agents, etc. What I want to know is, where the hell do they get these ideas?

I’ve been trying for a couple days to to figure out how to explain this to people without whining or bitching or insulting people without using their names. I fear I may do a little bit of all. An average day for me, as a publisher, can be all manner of things. There are so many high points and so many low points, I usually don’t know if I am coming or going.

I can tell you that every single day I thank God for giving me the chance to do what I love. I will say without any arrogance that I am good what I do. I feel good about every story I contract, I feel great about finding new authors and introducing them to readers, and I feel good about giving established authors a venue to showcase their works. It is a blessing to be able to read and publish and know that I am playing a large role in triggering a whole crapload of emotions in people I don’t even know.

Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t have absolutely shitty days. Recently I woke u to a barrage of emails that had my head spinning and sent me running hysterical in tears to Dunkin’ Donuts for comfort. I’ll give you the top five highlights.

1. Three (3) authors contacted me to let me know they wanted their rights back (less than a year into their contracts) so they could self publish. They simply feel they can promote their work better that way. WTF? Why does who your book is published by make any difference to how you market it? Don’t get me wrong, not against self-publishing, just do it before you sign with a publisher and they make investments of time and money on your behalf.

2. Got word from two agents that the contracts I sent to them were unacceptable because I would not pay the author 20% of retail, let them keep all their rights except print, and do not offer a solid marketing budget. Oh, and one wanted me to give the author 250 author copies. Really? I am guessing they did not do their research and have no idea what size publisher they are dealing with. One even called my contract “Childishly designed.” What the hell does that mean? Anyone? Bueller?

3. I discovered that I have lost 3 editors.

4. I sent 60,000 books to be remaindered. These are books that I printed for authors who either did nothing to help me sell them or left Echelon to go self-publish.

So there’s a bad day, and yes that was one day (okay one and a half).

Now, far be it from me to leave you feeling sorry for me. Let me tell you about a good day. This is actually two days, but you get the point.

1. I finished a submission that I had NO IDEA I would like so much because the author wrote on a topic that was of no interest to me and she did things in this book that will curl hair in some cultures. It was an awesome book and she made an unthinkable situation make sense and work for me. I loved the book and I will be offering a contract.

2. I sent revisions to an author who I had met at a conference and I was pretty harsh (it needed some work) and the author has sent me several emails thanking me and letting me know she is revising and will be resubmitting soon. I was expecting a quick kiss off and perhaps some snarky tweeets. The writer is a real doll, though. Hoping we can work together.

3. I learned from one of my short story authors that she wants me to consider a novel by her. this is especially cool since so many are jumping ship to self-publish. I do have a place in my heart for loyalty. LOL

4. Our Echelon Press site had higher than usual views for three days in a row.

5. I finished initial edits on a book by an author who I have adored for years, who has signed on with Echelon to reissue her previous titles and to publish her new works. This is especially thrilling for me as she has been a mentor to me as an author for a very long time.

As you can see, the ride is wild and it can be trying, but for those people out there who think we have lots of expensive lunches and attend cocktail parties and schmooze. Here’s a little secret. Most days I eat alone and it’s usually Dunkin’ Donuts or Chipotle, the last cocktail party I went to was eight years ago and I paid $1000 in conference and travel fees to be there, and I drive a Toyota Corolla. Glamor? Not so much. Excitement, depends on what day it is. Schmoozing? I’m the one doing all the schmoozing, so I’m not sure if that counts.

I love what I do and I plan to do it for the rest of my life.

5 Comments

Posted in Blatherings, Business, Just for Fun

Success by Default?

Posted on July 23, 2011 | 13 comments

Okay, I am going to take a moment and speak out against the masses. This is more for writers, but has bearing on readers as well.

I recently (and very quietly) read the success book by John Locke (How I Sold 1 Million eBooks in 5 Months!) Let me start by saying, I am not bashing this book. It was okay. It offered some good advice that may or may not work for the masses. I am guessing he has sold a buttload of copies of it, and good for him! I mean that.

What I’m worried about is all the authors out there who have made this their new bible of sorts. Nowhere in his book does he promise that if the author does everything he did and exactly like he did it, they will find the success he has. NOWHERE! I went into the book expecting a little more and was a little disappointed. Not because it didn’t offer good advice, in fact I agree with a good portion of it and have been using his principles for some time and preaching them to the authors and writers I have met along the way. No, I’m not looking for credit, I am trying to make a point.

I blog. Actually I think I blog pretty well. I’ve never had complaints. I get plenty of praise, and I’m confident that I have a pretty good following. But how many of you have actually bought any of my books or short stories? You like me, right? So why not invest in my career?
I interact with people. Probably more than I should. I am a social networking whore. I admit. My name is Karen, and I am addicted to social networking. I don’t talk at people, I talk to them, and you talk back.
I write well. One difference between Locke and I is that I do care what people think about my writing as well as my stories. Of course I want my words to move you, but I don’t want you to get a headache trying to sift through crappy punctuation, grammar, and spelling. I will read one of his books (probably one of the westerns) and I’m sure I’ll be entertained, but I’m already prepared for writing that may or may not be good.
I invest in people. When I was going through some horrible times, years back, I turned to books as my refuge. You’ve heard people say that, but it’s true. Authors like Caroline Bourne, Jill Barnett, Rebecca Paisley, and all manner of others took me through some pretty dark days. Days that I readily admit could have ended in my death, were it not for the hope and inspiration their stories and their writing offered me. When I came through all of that, I decided I wanted to give back. I knew I wanted to write as well as them, and I wanted to tell stories that touched and affected the lives of others. I’ve spent the last 15 years offering to others what I took back in those days. I offer it with my writing and I offer it with my publishing.

Now, here’s my point. After reading Locke’s book, I was disappointed. I have done the things he spoke of and I have done them for years. Yet, I have sold nowhere near a million of anything. Why is that? Am I not working hard enough? Smart enough? Am I more confident in myself than others are in me? Whatever the reason, I would like to offer a bit of my own wisdom with regard to this matter.

Read books by people like Locke, and learn from them, but don’t put them on pedestals because they accomplished something. They are people just like us, and no matter how much you pay for a book like his, it will never guarantee the success he found. There is no secret to successful bookselling. It is something you simply must strive to do every day. EVERY DAY you must go out and tell people who you have written something that is so important to you that you are confident that in some way it will affect them. You must give readers a reason to make the investment in you. Will it work every time? Obviously not, or people would be interviewing me and not John Locke or Amanda Hocking.

They deserve the praise, they have both worked very hard and obviously very smart. Am I jealous? Yes, but not for the reasons you may think. I don’t envy their success. I envy their ability to convey to others the value of buying their books and remaining loyal readers. I envy their ability to show others their personal value, because that is a huge part of their success. Readers believe in them. I want that.

Authors, there is no secret for selling millions of books. No book is ever going to give you that. People like Locke can offer you insight into how they did it, but facts are, you are not him. Your situation, life, and abilities are very different. It is the wonder of diversity. Read the books, pay attention, and then go out and find your own success. It’s out there for all of us, we just have to embrace it and nurture it to its full capacity.

Readers, embrace the authors you love. Continue to buy their books and help them find their success, but I urge you to keep your minds open and embrace what you don’t know with the expectation of great things. There are new authors exploding onto the scene with books and stories that will blow you away. Don’t be caught in the he said, she said trap of the industry. Things are always changing in the book world. Formats, styles, themes, everything. Don’t be afraid that if you set aside a paperback novel and try reading something on a Kindle that it will be the ruination of you and the paperback industry. It won’t. We live in a vast world that offers so much potential for growth and only if we explore and embrace all of our choices will we find what we are truly seeking.

13 Comments

Posted in Blatherings, Writing

Tagged authors, books, karen syed, motivation, readers, sales, success, Writing

Me and Mary Kay…sorta

Posted on July 5, 2011 | 3 comments

Our 10th Anniversary

Today I am celebrating my tenth wedding anniversary. A milestone, yes, but for me it is even more important. You see, I’m not the easiest person in the world to get along with or tolerate. Okay, in all fairness, I’m a much better person than I was 15 years ago.

Back in the day I was mean, stubborn, selfish, and all kinds of other nasty things. I have had countless friends come and go, with a very small number holding steady. I hae infuriated, pissed off, and offended more people than I can even count. I cared little about making connections with anyone. So why the glimpse into my sordid past?

As I said, today is my anniversary and my husband has earned a very special place in my heart. He is the one person who I have maintained a personal and positive relationship with for the longest consecutive period of time. I know that sounds weird, but I really have pissed off a lot of people. It has not been easy for him, but hopefully he thinks it is worth it.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been thinking about other types of relationships. Being in business I’m tasked with finding ways to bring people close enough that they find value in me and my product. I don’t think enough people give serious consideration to relationships when trying to build their business’s reputation. For me it plays, and always has played, a very important, even crucial, role. After all, I am out there every day asking people to have faith in me and to spend their hard-earned money on my products. I really don’t take that lightly. In fact, the idea that readers might not like our books torments me to no end.

Some of you may be wondering what happened to change me so dramatically. In truth it was a couple of things. First and foremost was meeting my (now) husband. The time we have spent together (15 years in total) has truly made me want to be a better person than I was. He has made a point to find the good in me from the moment we met. He did not change me, knowing him made me want to change.

Mary Kay Ash

The other major influence in my life was the late Mary Kay Ash. You all probably know her from her internationally renowned cosmetics company. Over the last few years I have investigated and studied her company and her life with great enthusiasm. This remarkable woman literally started Mary Kay with almost nothing after having lost her husband. Along with her son, she worked from the bottom up to make the company one of the most well-known and successful.

The most important element to her success as a person and an entrepeneur was her ability to connect with people, as far as I can tell, nearly all people. Every day in her life was filled with getting to know others and going out of her way to make them feel important and valued. Rumor has it that she treated her Mary Kay representatives with the same respect as she did her friends and family. It is said that when a Mary Kay representative had a birthday, an anniversary, or even a tragedy, Mary Kay Ash would pick up the phone and call them herself.

The character of Mary Kay Ash has been an inspiration to me for a very long time. I strive to make my life as worthy as hers and I hope that in some way I leave a positive impression on every person I meet or talk to. After all, you can’t put a price or value on human life and happiness.