It is every writer’s wish to one day get published.
What is the need of writing and keeping your articles to yourself?
You need to publish your articles, stories, poems etc. in a book and let the world read them.
Publishing also enables a writer to make some income when the books are sold.
But getting published is not easy.
Two types of publications
There are two types of publications.
A writer can choose to enter into a contract with publishing firm where he or she signs a contract.
The contract indicates that the publishing firm will retain the publishing rights and take care of all other processes like marketing, distribution, and sales of the book.
The author will be entitled to a certain percentage when the book is sold (Otherwise known as royalties.)
Another type of publication that an author may choose is known as self-publishing.
Here, the publishing firm will only charge a fee for publishing the manuscript and then the marketing, distribution, and sale of the books is the sole responsibility of the writer.
The publishing rights remain with the writer.
Shoddy Contract
Some publishing firms are taking advantage of the disparity of young authors to “steal” from them.
They hurriedly push the writer to enter into a shoddy contract.
The terms of publications are not clearly spelled-out.
After the book is published, the writer goes through a “pull me, I pull you” ordeal with the firm and in the end he or she gives up.
Earlier last month, a story was published in the Saturday Nation of a budding poet who suffered in the hands of a rogue publisher.
The young writer is my friend and he personally narrated to me how he got “conned” by a rogue publisher.
Up to date, he has never received his “consignment” of books.
Secret Sales
What shoddy firms do is to make secret sales of a writer’s books despite the contract saying that the marketing, distribution, and sale of the books is the sole responsibility of the author.
They keep on extending the date when the supposed to be out.
As the writer is patiently waiting for his or her books, the firm is secretly distributing the books in soft copy or in even in hard copy overseas.
Speedy process
Publishing is a slow process.
The process of reading and editing the manuscript takes time.
Some authors wait for years before they finally get their books in prints.
On the other hand, some publishing firms hastily go through the process of proof-reading and editing.
Within months, the book is already published.
As a writer who is looking forward to getting published, stay away from such firms who publish books within few months.
These are the characteristics of a rogue publisher. It is better to be slow but sure.