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James Gold, publisher, of Black Heron Books, talked to SWA tonight about something he knows well - the publishing business. He shared his insights, and answered questions from the audience of the well-attended meeting, dispite its proximity to the New Year holiday.
He publishes only 4 to 5 titles per year out
of around 2,000 manuscripts received. About half the manuscripts
are good and publishable, but in today's rough-and-tumble business
world, being "good" is quite enough.
"I publish books that make me want to stand up and shout,
'I must have this book!' "
Having a reliable and stable author to work with is very important. The author should exhibit confidence and the ability to present his work for public review. He tells the story of one author who said she was "damaged," but he didn't realize how until she began ranting at a book review on an irrelevant topic.
Publication is a very risky business. It cost a lot of money to bring out a book, and most of them don't pay off.
Other ways to publish: self-publishing, which
may work out for you if you can line up distributors to get
your book to the book sellers.
Electonic publishing is a possibility, and there are a lot of
problems associated with it too, among them presently you can't
get a book review unless there is a hard copy.
