“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets. But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” (Luke 6:26-35)

This is the way of our tender Father… who loved even us.

Here are our suggestions:

First, see if the publisher has a web site. If not, chances are that company won’t be much help to you in marketing your book before or after it’s in print.

Next, look at the list of books the publisher has printed. Publishers that list lofty promises but not even one title that has had any degree of success are suspect. Publishers with few titles but an honest assessment of what they can do for you are not always a bad risk, but beware of those who make claims without substantiation.

Finally, you can sometimes do one or more of the following to unearth more information: contact an author who used the publisher, ask booksellers if they are familiar with the company, check to see if the publisher advertises in The Writer magazine, check with the BBB, or use your search engine to see if anyone has said anything negative about the publisher in a blog, forum, or web site for authors.

If a publisher asks you to pay them more than it would cost you to simply print the book (check prices with Morris Publishing, a book printer), justifying this excess with promises of editorial or marketing assistance, stay away! If a publisher asks you to sign a contract giving away All Rights to your work, stay away! For a good article on the subject of unethical vanity publishing practices, see: http://www.aeonix.com/vanity.htm

Note: The term “vanity” is sometimes applied to legitimate subsidy publishers that publish anything indiscriminately, but for authors who are less concerned with the quality of their work and more concerned with having the experience of being published, it is still important to avoid being robbed and ruined by the unethical companies we have been using this term to describe.

We at Whyte Dove Press encourage visitors to our blog, who are interested in this topic and would like to read more, to visit http://thebrokenforum.wordpress.com/

Whyte Dove Press is not a POD publisher. We sell Man in the Moon on consignment through Amazon’s Advantage program for publishers and authors. There are resellers who offer the book, too, from time to time. Nevertheless, we at WDP believe that POD offers authors many pluses, not the least of which is distribution in such marketplaces as Amazon, and we hope Amazon and other mega-markets resist the temptation to use their clout to monopolize any aspect of the publishing industry, which has already suffered the shrinking of opportunities for authors in proportion to the expansion of merging companies. The internet is the final frontier, the wide open spaces in which author and publisher can freely disseminate views the public might otherwise never have the chance to consider. No barbed wire fences on the open internet range, please!

Broken Forum, please enlighten us. What is Amazon’s latest monopoly move and how does it affect authors who are seeking publication?

We at least do know that Amazon does not have a monopoly on the sale of Man in the Moon by K. A. Young. If you or someone you know would like to purchase a quality Christian children’s novel, Man in the Moon by K. A. Young is available on Amazon and also on the Whyte Dove Press web site (see sidebar for link).

Chris Moran