Tate Publishing

James D. Macdonald · Dec 28, 2005

All publishers, even the biggest, publish first-time authors. First-time authors are published by major publishers every day. You can check that out yourself, at the bookstore.

Aim high.

MadScientistMatt · Dec 28, 2005

Selena_Fai said:
I knew it was too good to be true when they called me at home...

I'm almost too afraid to submit to anyone because it seems anytime I see someone likely to take on a 1st timer, they are a vanity press, or worse, Publish America. (Glad I at least was able to dodge that bullet.)

I guess I will bite the bullet myself and finish the book first and then start submitting. I just don't want to pay for this myself....

Thanks for listening.

You mentioned elsewhere that your book is a children's book. One good way to avoid vanity publishers and scammers is to go to a bookstore and look at other children's books. See who published them. Books from scam publishers almost never turn up there.

stormie · Dec 28, 2005

Aconite said:
Selena, skip the ones that advertise that they're "looking for first-time authors." Reputable publishers don't care if you're a first-timer as long as your book is good. Scammers, on the other hand, talk a lot about "giving new authors a chance" and the like. As long as your book is good, you have as good a chance as anyone else, first-timer or not.

Yup, I agree. If I read or hear one more so-called "publisher" saying that they give new authors the chance to see their book published, I'll scream.

Write, rewrite, read as much as you can about writing, rewrite again, and send queries to traditional (conventional) publishers. It's hard work but worth it in the end.

Selena_Fai · Dec 28, 2005

Thanks for the feedback.

I actually have 2 books I want to see published. The first is a childrens book already completed. The second is a novel which is no where close to being finished.

I believe I will go get me a copy of the Writer's Market and start submitting that way once I am ready.

I'm so glad I found this site. So far I have ben saved from the Children's Literary Agency and Publish America, which both wanted to sign. Glad I didn't.

Selena (Gin)

Cathy C · Dec 28, 2005

stormie said:
If I read or hear one more so-called "publisher" saying that they give new authors the chance to see their book published, I'll scream.

I've started to collect them for fun. It helps with the screaming. Here are some of my favorites, gleaned from a variety of vanity sites.

"Mainstream publisher seeking authors with a fresh voice!"
"The diamond-in-the-rough author is our passion!"
"Seeking writers with exceptional talent!"
"We provide a haven for unknown authors!"

and my personal favorite,

"Actively searching for undiscovered masters of the written word!"

(Notice how they all end with an exclamation point?! :ROFL:

I just LOVE that part!)

Anyone else care to add ones they've seen? :popcorn:

Aconite · Dec 28, 2005

Selena_Fai said:
I believe I will go get me a copy of the Writer's Market and start submitting that way once I am ready.

A much better way is to go to bookstores and see which publishers actually have books in the stores. Not all the publishers listed in WM can manage that.

Cathy C said:
Anyone else care to add ones they've seen?

Teresa Nielsen Hayden's lists from Making Light on how to spot scam publishers by the way they talk about themselves: A brief note on linguistic markers and More linguistic markers

victoriastrauss · Dec 29, 2005

Cathy C said:
I've started to collect them for fun. It helps with the screaming. Here are some of my favorites, gleaned from a variety of vanity sites.

Should I find it depressing that I recognize nearly all of those???

- Victoria

CaoPaux · Dec 31, 2005

Not at all! It means they're on your radar. Now to get a lock on the rest.... :e2teeth:

SuperSnooperdog · Jan 2, 2006

Information Requested

Hello, I stumbled onto this forum while doing research on publishing and publishers. I see that Publish America has been well covered as it has been on other forums. The research here and in other places indicates that many have had problems with that publisher. I have found quality information about iUniverse and several others. One company, Tate Publishing, has generated a lot of comment, but very little substantive or factual information is included, other than it being a subsidy company. At this point in my research, I’m not interested in subsidy, vanity, innuendo, hyperbole, I think, or other issues mentioned about them or others. There are some basic questions that I would like answered if anyone would be so kind as to furnish the info. The info will be used in a definitive list of publisher information I am developing.

1. Have any on the forum had business with Tate or do you know anyone who has?

If yes, please give pros and cons.

2. Has anyone met the principals of the company? I notice that the employee photos are on the site. Some what unusual when compared to other sites.

3. Do you know of any instances of failure to perform as per the contract, and if there has been, were the problems resolved satisfactorily and in a timely manner.

4. Are the books of good quality as measured against other books of the general type paperbacks?

If you don’t wish to post here, send a private message.

Any answers will be appreciated.

Thank you

Alyce08 · Jul 12, 2006

Here's something I found interesting about Tate:

Ryan Tate states on another thread that he only publishes 4-6% of his 15,000 manuscripts received.

That's 750 authors per year - about 60 a month - two authors/day.

Based on his wording - I'm assuming that is how many say "yes" to spending $4,000.

On their website they have a PRODUCTION STAFF of 20 and a MARKETING STAFF of four (Only ONE Book Sales Staff Member - as for the other three staff members - Are they marketing to find more authors OR marketing to sell their "published" books?) With that kind of volume of authors being published and with no staff to really support what they "say" they will do - is there any doubt they are misrepresenting themselves?

Real Experience:
A personal friend of mine received an offer from Tate- it was her VERY first submission to any publishing house -- Tate told her how "lucky" she was, how "rare" it is for a first submission, of course how "Christian" they are and their "deals" with authors are so much better than other publishers.

Why didn't Tate do the real "Christian" thing and educate my friend (first timer) to try traditional publishers FIRST - having a chance to receive an advance before paying out $4,000 to be self-published?

Yes, she signed - I don't know if she has paid them the money - she is excited beyond words - and she's not asking for anyone's advice - I wish she would - she DOES NOT have $4,000 to lose.

She's VERY intelligent so I am shocked that she fell for this!

1. Any suggestions on how to tactfully tell her to check Tate's references without destroying our friendship?

2. Can she get out of the contract?

Any suggestions are appreciated! (please forgive misspellings - I could not download spell check)

Thank you!!!

JerseyGirl1962 · Jul 12, 2006

Alyce08 said:
1. Any suggestions on how to tactfully tell her to check Tate's references without destroying our friendship?

2. Can she get out of the contract?

Any suggestions are appreciated! (please forgive misspellings - I could not download spell check)

Thank you!!!

Alyce,

First up - :welcome:

1. Some people do not want to be told that something's not on the up and up; they have to learn the hard way (just ask my hubby

). Anyway, I'm not the diplomat in my family, so, unfortunately, I can't help you on this one (but others may be able to).

2. Depends on what the contract looks like, and I wouldn't expect to get any legal advice on this site (for very good reasons). However, you may want to Google Volunteer Lawyers For the Arts for an attorney near you and your friend. I'm not sure if they work for you completely free or if there's some sort of sliding scale depending on income. But they would know publishing contracts, which I've come to learn are quite different from your standard, every day contract.

Good luck - and let us know what happens.

~Nancy

Alyce08 · Jul 12, 2006

Thank you

Thank you!!!

Alyce

soloset · Jul 12, 2006

Any time what you want conflicts with what is real, there's the temptation to rationalize and dither in pursuit of the want instead of the reality. And it's terribly frustrating to watch someone you care about fall into that trap.

Remember, though, you can't save her if she refuses to be saved. Point her to this thread; heck, make her promise to do you a favor and then insist reading this entire thread is it.

Ask questions, as gently as possible. Ask her what her goals are, and show her there are cheaper ways to have your book in your hands (lulu.com, to name one). Ask her how many books she'll need to sell to make back whatever she pays, and if that's an issue for her.

Take her to the bookstore (or at least Amazon) and ask them for a book from the publisher. Find out how long it'll take to get that book in your hands, how much it costs, and how many pages it has. Ask her if she'd buy a book of that many pages for that price. Ask if, since she's considering this company, she's ordered one of their books to see what the quality is like.

Then let her make her own decision and never, ever say "I told you so".

Alyce08 · Jul 13, 2006

Sums it up

soloset said:
Any time what you want conflicts with what is real, there's the temptation to rationalize and dither in pursuit of the want instead of the reality. And it's terribly frustrating to watch someone you care about fall into that trap.

That really sums it up. Good point.
Thanks
Alyce

psm0904 · Aug 1, 2006

I talked to them once, and they try to sound like a legit publisher. They do a good job convincing you to shell out $4,000. Fortunately, I was unable to come up with that much at the time. New to the business, I didn't realize how outrageous that was. I'm happily e-pubbed now. It didn't cost a thing, and, since making a fortune isn't a goal of mine, I'm content.

Sly Buck · Aug 16, 2006

My experience with Tate

This is my first posting on this site. I wanted to get a sense of the experiences other authors have had with Tate and you all have certainly done that. Here's my experience.

The other day I got a phone call from an aquisitions person at Tate and she had glowing praise for my novel. Said it was the best she had read in some time and that they wanted to sign me to a contract immediately so she was overnighting a contract to me. Needless to say I was excited since I had received several rejections to this point. I dreamt of big money and movie deals that night... lol. (I had done absolutely no research on Tate to this point and had sent them my manuscript after I stumbled across their web site.)

I was stopped cold on the second paragraph of the contract. That's where the "Author Participation Fee" of almost $4000 raised its ugly head. I immediately called an old family friend who has published 20 books and asked what he thought. His response was that he has never heard of Tate and that I should have nothing to do with them. He told me that if I wanted to self publish why spend $4000 with Tate when I could do virtually the same thing with a company like Author House for $1000 or less. (I've not looked into Author House -- is that accurate?)

Don't get me wrong, I not saying anything against Tate. They seem like nice enough people and since they post their photos on their web site I doubt that they are crooks. All I really know is that they are not the right publisher for me right now. I'm happy for anyone who has published with them and is pleased with the results. I fact, I'd like to here from more of you who have had good experiences with Tate.

I still believe (perhaps naively) that my novel has great promise. All I have to do is find the right publisher. I know that's a challenge that may take some time and perserverance but for now I have plenty of both.

Would appreciate your suggestions and thoughts.

Roger J Carlson · Aug 16, 2006

Sly Buck said:
I still believe (perhaps naively) that my novel has great promise. All I have to do is find the right publisher. I know that's a challenge that may take some time and perserverance but for now I have plenty of both.

Would appreciate your suggestions and thoughts.

The only way to get any real distribution for your book is to go with a real publisher, not vanity press.

You might want to start querying agents. You have to watch out for sharks there too. A real agent is one who has represented books sold to real publishers, available in real stores. Look through the threads here (especially the Literary Group Tentacles Thread) for more on what to look out for.

The good thing about querying agents is that if you get a bite and send a partial, the agent will be able to tell you whether (or not) the book really has as much promise as you think it has.

Roger J Carlson · Aug 16, 2006

Sly Buck said:
He told me that if I wanted to self publish why spend $4000 with Tate when I could do virtually the same thing with a company like Author House for $1000 or less. (I've not looked into Author House -- is that accurate?)

Oh, and you should check out the Author House thread too.

James D. Macdonald · Aug 16, 2006

AuthorHouse is yet another vanity POD. Don't throw away your novel. Let the big houses reject it first.

Sly Buck · Aug 16, 2006

Thanks, Roger and James. Your advice coincides with my gut instincts.

BruceJ · Oct 9, 2006

Haray, I'll jump into your court.

Hi, all. I just joined the site and have enjoyed what I've read so far. You all seem like a class act. I'll try not to drop the property values.

I, too, have a work coming out with Tate. I'm also, at this point, a casual writer, so I understand and appreciate both what Haray has written and what CathyC mentioned above regarding career writing. Tate has been very good to me; however, to be perfectly honest, as a new author I have no experience with any other publishing houses. I've personally been to their offices, as well as spent time on the phone and in both e-mail and snail mail exchanges with them. They've always been up front with me and I understood going in that this would be a partnering effort from square one. Therefore I had no problem investing some money along with my interest in the success of the publication and marketing of my book. Perhaps I'm naive (that's not the worst of my traits...) and you folks with more experience undoubtedly have a leg up on this (absolutely no sarcasm in that last comment, BTW). I also did some research prior to contacting Tate, though, and seriously doubt I would have a book ready for release this fall--or maybe ever--if not for their business approach in receiving new authors. I may flop, or I may be on the first step toward a very rewarding avocation, I don't know. But I do appreciate the chance they've given me and will reserve judgment until all the votes are in on my first book.

Thanks for listening...er, reading. Good to meet all of you. Best of everything in your writing--career, casual or otherwise. bcj

chickeebabee · Oct 11, 2006

I did read the other thread about Tate Publishing. I wanted to post a question to authors that have published with Tate.

So, if you have published your book with Tate Publishing, would you let me know what you thought of the company. Do you feel that your money was well spent. Did you atleast break even with your book? Was your book marketed well? Did your book get into stores and not just their websites? If you had it to do "all over again" , would you go with Tate Publishing again.

Any other thoughts will be appreciated too.

Thank you

JohnB1988 · Oct 13, 2006

Sorry, can’t help you other than to restate the old saying: “He who has a Tate’s is lost.”

Popeyesays · Oct 13, 2006

chickeebabee said:
I did read the other thread about Tate Publishing. I wanted to post a question to authors that have published with Tate.

So, if you have published your book with Tate Publishing, would you let me know what you thought of the company. Do you feel that your money was well spent. Did you atleast break even with your book? Was your book marketed well? Did your book get into stores and not just their websites? If you had it to do "all over again" , would you go with Tate Publishing again.

Any other thoughts will be appreciated too.

Thank you

Don't go with Tate's. It's out and out vanity pressing your book which is never a good idea.

What kind of book do you have in mind for self-publishing?

If you can't make yourself stay away from self-publishing, do it with Lulu. It's cheaper, they are up front about what they offer.

Heck, if all you want is your bokk made into a book, they'll do one for you for free.

Regards,
Scott

Emmanuele · Oct 24, 2006

I am a new writer and have been doing some research on publishing my book. I keep coming on here looking at different posts trying to get a read on a legitimate book publishing company. I see alot of companies to stay away from but I don't see anyone recommending good ones. Is it some kind of secret once someone found a good one??? I just want to know where to start looking there are so many out there and so much to watch out for. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Tate Publishing

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

MadScientistMatt

Empirical Storm Trooper

stormie

storm central

Selena_Fai

Cathy C

Ooo! Shiny new cover!

Aconite

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless

SuperSnooperdog

Alyce08

JerseyGirl1962

I heart Malamutes! :-)

Alyce08

soloset

'bye

Alyce08

psm0904

Sly Buck

Roger J Carlson

Moderator In Name Only

Roger J Carlson

Moderator In Name Only

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

Sly Buck

BruceJ

Me and my Muse

chickeebabee

JohnB1988

Popeyesays

Now departed. Rest in peace, Scott, from all of us

Emmanuele