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Oct 18, 2009

A few nice notes from recent authors:

"Briana gave me the direction and encouragement needed to improve upon my skills as a writer. I learned many things about writing and how a manuscript should be presented. She was kind, competent, supportive, quick to respond to questions, always cheerful, and a delight to work with on this project. I really gained more knowledge in writing and the publishing procedures with her help."


"I feel that both my book and my writing have improved as the result of some of Amanda's suggestions. Sometimes simply relocating a single word can alter or enrich the entire meaning of a sentence. Also, someone skilled reading your work for the first time, not already knowing the plot, characters, etc., can more easily spot areas that may need clarification, revision. During this process I discovered there were traits within some of my characters that I'd failed to develop fully, some things had been left unsaid in the dialogue, dialect needed work, some parts needed clarification. Even subtle changes can make a huge difference and this is the time to catch them."


"We were thrilled with the suggestions Katie made, and both feel the book is far stronger because of her. She had great insight into how I could develop a certain twist in the plot. She also had sentence structure suggestions that improved the message I was trying to get across.  I will be a better writer because of her input. The editing dept also came up with the title, and we love it! Once again Tate Publishing exceeds expectations."

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Sep 8, 2009

FB < TW

I’ve recently decided to shift my work-related networking away from Facebook. I still hold that FB is a great place for authors to network and connect with readers, but it’s not providing the best format for my position at the moment. So if you’ve asked to be my FB friend and we haven't met face to face, chances are we won’t be connecting at this time on this site. But you can catch me at...

 

Moving forward all publishing-related material I share will be on Twitter. While I still loathe the name of this site, the format is easier to navigate quickly and pass along interesting links and information. And there are some great book people to follow, including publicist @yodiwan, agent @DanielLiterary, @WritersDigest, and our very own @TerryCordingley. So, if you want connect with me on a more consistent basis, follow me at twitter.com/curtiswinkle.

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Aug 10, 2009

We Are the Future

Last week we had the opportunity to visit the Big Apple for our annual Strategic Planning Summit. While there we also met with some key industry individuals and took in a few sights.

Times Square                                                                                                                                                 Ground Zero

   

New York Stock Exchange

We returned to Oklahoma City with an even stronger sense that our model is the future of the publishing industry. The agents and booksellers we met with echoed what we have been saying for years: the era of the big advance and critical mass is coming to an end, and niche marketing is paramount to the future of book sales. While this fact is hurting the staunchly inflexible traditional model, with its archaic distribution systems and refusal to adapt (e.g. HarperCollins' profits dropped 89% last year; a Publishers Weekly industry survey found that 61% of publishers experienced layoffs in the last year--and not surprisingly only 13% of those surveyed felt secure in their publishing jobs), Tate Publishing is expanding. We are growing in this economy. Reread that last sentence. We are gaining ground where other publishers are fighting to tread water. We are writing the future. 

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Jul 29, 2009

Virtual Children's Books

This morning we took a look at some new and exciting things our Illustration Department has been working on to enhance our eLIVE package for children’s books. Here’s a sneak peek:

video

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Jun 18, 2009

Feedback: The Breakfast of Champions

Every month I send surveys to Tate Publishing authors who have completed the editing process and are moving on to our design department. 95% of the responses I receive are encouraging and complimentary of our staff. The other 5% are what I consider when we look to develop our staff or make tweaks to our procedures. Below are a few of this month's responses:

  • “Jaime's suggestions and guidance brought things out in the story that I hadn't thought to expand on. Since it's a memoir most of my thoughts/feelings were 'assumed' to be understood by the reader... like they should just know why I did this or that, but I needed to explain, expand, and enlighten the reader in some areas…She was thorough, diligent, sensible, and compassionate with her suggestions, and I felt like she 'heard me' when I had anything I wanted to add, delete, change or leave alone.  She is a true professional, and I hope you at Tate recognize what an amazing editor you have in her…I shudder to think what the book would have been like had I put it on the shelf without her expertise and attention.”

  • “Amanda helped me develop action tags and was encouraging in helping me polish the manuscript. She was prompt, professional, and kind in her comments…I also learned a lot reading your blog on Stein's book. Tate's model of working with the author is refreshing and stimulating of creativity. After meeting with other authors at a conference I understand better that the publishing industry is killing itself by not listening to authors.” 

  • “Katie knew how to suggest improvements that would make my book more marketable. I'd like to do another book, and I have already asked her if she could be my editor. We really were on the same page throughout the process…She helped me restate, add information, and cut statements in order to tie the reader better into the topic of the book. She was both an editor and a coach.”

  • “Both my book and my writing have improved. Making sure I don't give away any of the plot until the end and using more action tags were both helpful ideas. Also, Jaime suggested that I enhance one of the characters so the reader would know more about him…I never thought that I would want anyone to change my story, but I realize that a few great suggestions made my book even better. I appreciate all of her attention to my story.” 
  • “Emily did a wonderful job pointing out the inconsistencies in the characterization and plot.  Her insightful comments made me focus on the areas of the book that needed the most help. Walk With The Master is a much better book than before Emily's involvement.”

 (Photo by Jason Lee)

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