The Story Plant (formerly The Fiction Studio) (Lou Aronica)

Lou is well-known and legitimate.

What does this mean:

however, my main goal for doing this is to hopefully re-shape a few people in my family that have also suffered a great deal....this may be my only way to do that....all other methods have failed.

arlhope said:

Hello,
During my phone conversation with Lou today, he did review the process to me today...meet with me for 3 days for all the note taking, writing a proposal and submitting two chapters to a publisher, etc. He also said that he could assist with finding an agent. Is this the norm?

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Well, none of it sounds suspicious.

But like James said, Lou Aronica is a pretty big name in the business.

arlhope said:

Hello,
During my phone conversation with Lou today, he did review the process to me today...meet with me for 3 days for all the note taking, writing a proposal and submitting two chapters to a publisher, etc. He also said that he could assist with finding an agent. Is this the norm?

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This isn't unusual for a freelance editor to do. However, be aware that there are no guarantees--Lou Aronica has experience, contacts, and respect in the industry, but that won't necessarily mean that your proposal will sell or find representation. It's a competitive world out there, especially for memoirs. You may discover at the end of the process that you've spent many thousands of dollars for nothing.

- Victoria

Have you tried the Share Your Work forum? There are lots of helpful critters over there.

Lou's recently had some books published, pseudonymously, by a respectable trade house.

...my main goal for doing this is to hopefully re-shape a few people in my family that have also suffered a great deal...

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This may be beyond the scope of what any book can do.

As a ghostwriter, I can verify that selling memoirs is very tough. More than half the queries I receive are for memoirs, but most people have no notes or source materials. (I limit my clients to those who have some measure of preparation and organization--a personal preference.) The bigger problem is that, while I can't fault people for wanting to tell their stories, they usually don't have anything that is really marketable. You can't imagine how many women tell me that their therapists have told them to "publish" stories of abuse as a theraputic way of dealing with trauma.

I turn down most memoir work because people have unreasonable expectations and/or they are trying to redress some family problem that is fairly personal in nature. I agree with James D. above. The idea of "re-shaping family members" is something I would never handle, although I admittedly don't know the story behind this statement. I do know that people who have suffered greatly are often looking for catharsis through memoirs, and this is just not realistic. Just my own opinion. It's great if people want to go POD with their memoirs, but only if they truly understand that POD titles are expensive and not carried in brick and mortar stores as a rule. In this case, such a venture has to be a labor of love.

Many people want to write of their legal battles to find justice, but only in rare circumstances does such an idea have market potential.

I am uncomfortable with approaching an agent with only an idea and sample chapter before the book is written. Another personal preference. It is certainly done, but it amounts to writing "on spec." Sure, agents might express interest, but as Victoria points out, there's no guarantee in the long run that a lot of bucks will result in success. Most agents I have spoken with or read about say they want a finished manuscript to evaluate. Everybody's different.

Most prospective clients just don't understand the literary marketplace. I reject about 98% of all potential clients. Personally, I don't ever take on a client without talking at great length about the realities of publishing, regardless of what I'm presented with.

Lou Aronica is the best!

As my editor on, The Eighth Day, Lou magically pulled a better book out of me, from behind my ear! He never imposed his personal preferences. More importantly, he met me, a first time author, at my level of style, pace and structure, then working within my abilities, opened up me and my book to the level of a true novel. I can't say enough good things about Lou Aronica, so just read this a few more times.

Just an update: Lou Aronica has joined forces with Peter Miller to form The Story Plant, an indie fiction publisher. http://thestoryplant.com/ They're publishing some really fine work and have distribution.

I just wanted to let all y'all know that Lou Aronica at Gramarye Media (the new parent company of The Story Plant) is now accepting submissions.


Thanks!

I was wondering why there wasn't already a bewares thread. I'm glad all y'all are on top of it!

Gosh, I hope a "beware" isn't necessary.

Lou and my books aren't exactly a secret ... otherwise, we wouldn't have announced ourselves to the world with a Publisher's Weekly cover. My book was pitched to Story Plant long before the merger was even an idea (they published my first three books). I'm the one who talked Lou into doing a revised and expanded version of Blue, so that's on me. But it's a terrific book and it deserves the kind of resources that Gramarye can put behind it.

The Story Plant will continue to be our publishing arm and Lou will be the primary decision maker, although we'll be more than doubling his staff, as well as hiring artists/designers and marketing/advertising/publicity support. The Story Plant has a long history, and Lou has a very long and successful track record in the industry.

Please reach out to us with questions or concerns. We're more than happy to talk.

JohnAdcox said:

Gosh, I hope a "beware" isn't necessary.

Lou and my books aren't exactly a secret ... otherwise, we wouldn't have announced ourselves to the world with a Publisher's Weekly cover. My book was pitched to Story Plant long before the merger was even an idea (they published my first three books). I'm the one who talked Lou into doing a revised and expanded version of Blue, so that's on me. But it's a terrific book and it deserves the kind of resources that Gramarye can put behind it.

The Story Plant will continue to be our publishing arm and Lou will be the primary decision maker, although we'll be more than doubling his staff, as well as hiring artists/designers and marketing/advertising/publicity support. The Story Plant has a long history, and Lou has a very long and successful track record in the industry.

Please reach out to us with questions or concerns. We're more than happy to talk.

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The link to submit to Lou Aronica on your submissions page at https://www.gramaryemedia.com/contact-us/submissions/ does not work

I can't duplicate the error. Apologies! (Someone else may have fixed it). In any case, you can just write to [email protected]