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Tate Publishing

simchry

Tate publishing

Has anyone worked with or know about Tate Publishing. I was just accepted and they sound like a good company but I would like to make sure before I sign on.

Thanks
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Tate publishing

As I look at their page, <a href="http://www.tatepublishing.com/home.php" target="_new">www.tatepublishing.com/home.php</a>, I see that they're in the business of "making your dreams a reality."

Me, I don't want a publisher that'll make my dreams a reality, I want a publisher that sells books by the thousands to the general public.

There's nothing that I see on their page that doesn't scream "Vanity POD!"

See also <a href="http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pebt.htm" target="_new">P&E</a>:

Tate Publishing: a subsidy publisher. Not recommended.
 

maestrowork

Re: Tate publishing

Also: "you retain all rights" and "get the highest royalties" and "Christian-based."
 

simchry

Re: Tate publishing

Thanks a lot guys that really helps. I was also wondering about the Charlotte Gusay literary agency I got told I could send in my query letter and manuscript to them.

Thanks again
 

James D Macdonald

Re: Tate publishing

From P&E: <a href="http://www.anotherealm.com/prededitors/pealc.htm." target="_new">Charlotte Gusay Literary Agency: a literary agency. Charges fee. Not recommended.</a>
 

vstrauss

Charlotte Gusay

This agency has a respectable track record of commercial sales. It also charges a $35 fee with submissions. In my opinion, small submission fees like this (less than $50) are a gray area. A handful of reasonably well-established agents do charge them, supposedly to help cover processing costs and/or to ensure adequate return postage.

The danger, of course, is that the agency will request submissions in which it isn't interested, in order to get the fee--and in fact I have received some reports that seem to indicate this is the case with Gusay, at least some of the time: submissions rejected so quickly they couldn't have been read, that sort of thing. In one case, the rejection letter was dated the same day the writer’s submission package was received (she’d sent it with a tracking number). In situations like this, you can't really know for certain whether a request for a submission indicates real interest in your work.

- Victoria
 

writemaster

I have worked with Tate Publishing in the past and they are not a POD company, but more like a company that helps unkown author get a chance, my manuscript was actually not accepted by them, but I will be submitting another one pretty soon. They were really nice to talk to, you should call them!
 

Cathy C

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aka eraser

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DaveKuzminski said:
Hmmm, anyone see a potential red flag in that response?

Hmm...let's see. First post and it's a response to a post that's been languishing in the AW basement for 15 months. Had to dig deep to dredge up that baby. And it puts a positive spin on the company in question. The "chance" thing resonates somehow too.

Ohmygosh! You don't think it might be someone from the aforementioned company do you?

Nah, that would just be wrong.
 

Haray72

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Tate is a Subsity Publisher

I have a book with Tate Publishing that is due to be published this Fall. They have been extremely helpful and honest with me all along the way. I submitted a manuscript to them and about 3 months later they called me to tell me they were very interested in it.

When I expressed misgivings about making such a large "co-investment" the owner called me personally from Oklahoma City (I live in Michigan) and spent no less than 30 minutes telling me all about the company and why they charge what they charge. What sold me was the fact that he said, "You seem concerned about making this investment. If you don't feel that your manuscript is marketable, then do NOT do this--we feel it is marketable."

My book has gone through several different stages of editing, layout, backmatter, cover design, etc. No process proceeds without my approval.
I retain ALL rights to my manuscript (another reason I went with them) and will receive 40% royalty--much higher than average.

The reason this publisher is doing well is that they specialize in Christian fiction, which is hotter than hot right now. My book fits them perfectly, and I look forward to seeing the results. If my book flops, that's life--I'm not going to blame the messenger. It took me 5 years to finish the book and I'll be proud of it regardless. I'll try to keep you all informed as to how successful (if at all) the book will be!

Genuinely,
Haray S.
 
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pepperlandgirl

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Wow, you're saying somebody spent 30 minutes on a long distance call (probably $3.00 total) to make $4000?

Authors do not have to invest in their books. Ever. They've already done all the hard work. The Publishing houses pick up the rest of the slack, with some help from the author, but never money! As Uncle Jim says, "Money flows towards the author, always."

They should have been giving you an advance, not asking for a co-investment.

If you wrote a good book and Christian books are hotter than hot right now, you can find a better publisher. And by "better" I mean "one that doesn't take your money."
 

Aconite

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Haray72 said:
What sold me was the fact that he said, "Your questions raise some red flags about making this investment. If you don't feel that your manuscript is marketable, then do NOT do this--we feel it is marketable."

Friend, I hate to break this to you, but that statement was meant to do exactly what it did: convince you to shell out the money by convincing you that this was someone who was taking a chance on your book because it was bound to be a success. It's what every author wants to hear. The only time you should ever believe it is when the speaker is offering you a contract in which they alone are taking the financial risks and you are receiving, not spending, money.

Good luck. I hope you do well.
 

Richard

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What sold me was the fact that he said, "Your questions raise some red flags about making this investment. If you don't feel that your manuscript is marketable, then do NOT do this--we feel it is marketable."

Oh dear. This usually translates pretty much as "Accept the compliment and pay up, or tell me that the life's work you're so proud of is a piece of crap, that you've wasted every evening for the last five years, and that your hopes and dreams are as dust beneath my speckled toilet bowl."

I heard pretty much the same thing from someone a couple of years ago for a freelance gig that suddenly requested a reading editorial fee, and suffice it to say, it was immediately followed by my world-class dialling tone impression.

Your investment is time and talent. That is all. Their website is quite blatantly marketing towards authors, not book buyers, and that's Captain Red Flag in this business. Although I'd love to know how much that 800 page (!) book on Revelations they mention in their news section was priced up...
 
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Birol

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That's a good question right now.
If anyone might possibly be interested, the e-mail address writemaster used to register has the word "tate" as part of the userid. If you're not, well, then feel free to ignore me.
 

writerjenn

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Not anymore...lol The email option has been removed.


Jenn

Birol said:
If anyone might possibly be interested, the e-mail address writemaster used to register has the word "tate" as part of the userid. If you're not, well, then feel free to ignore me.
 

Haray72

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Okay...

I knew my statements would bring out some passionate responses from you.
You all make valid points.

First of all, let me explain my reasons for going with Tate:

1. There is no doubt that Tate is not a traditional publisher. I agree money should always go to the author, that just makes sense.

However, in the publishing business, it's very difficult for a new author to be recognized, regardless of their talent, in any TIMELY fashion at all. That being understood, this subsity publisher fit the mold for me. But until you understand the co-investment concept, it's easy to cry foul.

Remember, any advance you are to gain from a traditional publisher is just that--an advance on sales, or potential sales. Until you earn out that advance, you will not see royalties. Also, production costs may be deducted from that initial advance as well.

With Tate I have "paid up" all at once, and now will concentrate on working with their marketing representative to try to make a profit.

Yes, I'm operating from $4,000 in the red instead of even or up $1,500 with an advance. Advantage Tate? Without question, but they never forced me to pony up $4,000, and you get what you pay for, ladies and gentlemen. I may not make a dime on this book, but that is not why I wrote it. I had a story to tell and didn't want to wait around watching my life go by just so I can say

"Bethany House signed me for $1,500 bucks and they were kind enough to take the burden of ownership off my hands too! Plus the book will be available sometime in the next half-century, and if it doesn't sell REALLY well in 6 months (I'm such a big shot author now that I'm sure they will just POUR marketing resources into it) it will get the honor of being BACKLISTED or OUT OF STOCK." Gaaah! To me, it's worth the investment to maintain control over my "baby". Control freak? Guilty as charged!

Don't get me wrong folks, there is NOTHING wrong with scoring or trying to score with the big boys. If you do sign with them you should be darned proud of it. I'm just not the right person to try. Casual author? Guilty as charged.

Tate represented an opportunity for me to get things going sooner. I am a professional marketing representative, so I guess I have a bit more confidence in the whole marketing aspect than would your average author. It's my job to be able to read people. At Tate they are real people with a real business that is doing quite well. It's easy to be suspicious of their fees, but let me ask you this: How many "disreputable" presses out their paste their faces on their website under "meet the staff?" No snake in the grass wants to be identified. They make no apologies for what they are and what they do, and that is very appealing to me. People like who they like I guess.
Idealistic? Mmmmm....oh, alright guilty again!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Keep em' coming!

Haray S.
 

aka eraser

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Birol said:
If anyone might possibly be interested, the e-mail address writemaster used to register has the word "tate" as part of the userid. If you're not, well, then feel free to ignore me.

I'm flabbergasted.

I'm also 27, wealthy, and way better looking than Brad Pitt on his best day.
 

aka eraser

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Haray, I genuinely hope your book does well and you end up in the black.

I've never heard of any mainstream publishing company deducting "production costs" from an advance though. Where'd you get that idea?
 

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Thanks

Thank you. I appreciate that! Remember folks, if your writing is excellent and you can get the word out, you can sell anything. The road we take to getting that word out is greatly influenced by who prints the words, but success is not predicated by them.
 

Cathy C

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I had a story to tell and didn't want to wait around watching my life go by just so I can say
Haray, if you wanted only the opportunity to write your book, have full control over the process and get it in print form in what you considered a timely manner, then you have no reason to apologize or defend yourself. You paid for the privilege of holding your book in your hands. Good for you.

But if your goal is a CAREER in writing, where the money from the sale of your books takes the place of a day job in paying your mortgage and food and electricity, then plain and simple --- you're in the wrong place.

You might well sell a few thousand copies if you bust your tail to market it, but reality is reality. You probably won't sell 100,000 or a million, because the stores simply won't stock it. If you can't catch the casual reader's eye, the best you can do is break even.

I'm glad that you're having a good experience with Tate and hope that you enjoy your book. But for those people who are looking for a career, it's probably not the right house.