Questions For Published Authors

[Carolyn Davis]

I just want to know how many authors here:
1) Have A publisher(big or small)
2)Have An Agent
3) Are Self-published
4) If published for the first time, got an advance
5)If you have an agent/publisher do you have to do all your own promotion?
6) Sell completed manuscripts or book proposals

Anyone that would like to answer my questions, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[John Robinson]

1) I have two publishers (so far): RiverOak did my Joe Box series, and Sheaf House is doing my spec-fic stand-alone.
2) Yes
3) No
4) Yes
5) So far, yes; I may hire a publicist to help bear the burden for this next book.
6) My first JB novel was sold as a complete MS; the next two on a short proposal.

[Karina Fabian]

1. Twilight Times Books, the Writers' Cafe Press, Swimming Kangaroo Press
2. No agent, but working on it
3. Not self-pub'd
4. Got an advance $100 fro TWCP
5. Do nearly all my own promotion
6. Completed manuscripts only (because I do fiction)

Karina Fabian
www.fabianspace.com

[JC Lamont]

Everything is no, excpet for #2.

Am hoping to find a publisher this weeknd since I'm headed out to the ACFW conference and four publishers accepting fantasy will be there.

[Linda Leigh Hargrove]

I'm with Moody Publisher/Lift Every Voice. I have an agent. I have two books in print and I got an advance for both. I do most of my promotion. After the first completed manuscript, most large publishers only want to see book proposals.

[Michelle Sutton]

1) Have A publisher (big or small) - YES!

2)Have An Agent - YES!

3) Are Self-published - NO!

4) If published for the first time, got an advance - Decided on higher royalties!

5)If you have an agent/publisher do you have to do all your own promotion? - Pretty much that is the way it is just about everywhere.

6) Sell completed manuscripts or book proposals. - So far all sold were completed manuscripts with proposals as part of the package sent to the publisher.

Sooo....peach, are you going to be at my booksigning at Border's in the Carousel Mall on Friday October 17th from 6- 8 PM? I really, really, really hope you can come. I haven't seen you in what, twenty something years?

[Valerie Anne Faulkner]

1) Have A publisher(big or small) Yes, he's big-6'3'' and he's small-I'm his first author.
2)Have An Agent ummmm...guess that would be me... and God.
3) Are Self-published YES! Well actually F.E.I. publishing/I'm a partner in the company.
4) If published for the first time, got an advance Ha- ha- hee- hee. Sorry that made me laugh...NO! But, life is good.
5)If you have an agent/publisher do you have to do all your own promotion? Yes, and seriously - I think that's all part of the biz.
6) Sell completed manuscripts or book proposals. I'v e been fortunate enough to have a job that takes me to a lot of people homes...when the book comes up-I show them - and they're buying... and lucky me they tell others, since they don't want to part with their own autographed copy.

:) It's a slow process but in my case it's working. if you're considering self-pub and have any questions-I'll be glad to try and answer.

[Timothy Fish]

I like Valerie's answer. I've got a "big" publisher too.

1) Yes
2) No
3) Yes, three books so far and another on the way.
4) As my own publisher, I paid myself a $1 million advance for my first book. I promptly reinvested it in my own business.
5) Of course not. Not all. That's what good friends are for.
6) My publisher decided to publish the books based on the concept, but reserved the right to back out at any time. But I'm special. My publisher requires completed manuscripts from other authors and he is very selective about which ones of those he selects.

[Lisa Lickel]

1. - I have two novels coming out next year; one with a larger house and one independent (edgy!)
2 - yes, twice--hmmmm
3 - no, but if I ever have any extra money sitting around, I'll do that with my children's picture series
4 - one advance, one not
5 - not all, but still quite a bit. You want to do that,anyway, take yourself out there
6 - yes, had to for Healing Grace when my first agent declared that "Grace had run out of Grace."
And, yes, basically had to get the contacts for a third optioned book which was ultimately turned down by the same editor who'd requested it at a conference
Lisa Lickel
lisalickel.com

[Kate Rizor]

1) I have an independent Canadian publisher, Stargazer Press. They publish 4-6 books a year.
2) I have had agents in the past but I sold The Governor's Wife without one.
3) I am not self-published and generally advise against it for various reasons
4) I did not get an advance for my first book but I got a pretty good deal on the amount of books sold
5) I do a lot of my own promotion; publisher helps a lot too
6) I sold mine based on a completed manuscript

[John Desjarlais]

1) Have A publisher (big or small): Yes: Thomas Nelson for "Relics" (2nd edition to be re-issued in May/June 2009) and Sophia Institute Press (small) for "Bleeder" coming in late summer 2009

2)Have An Agent: I've had three; my current 'agent' is really a free-lance acquisitions editor for the small house. My first agent sold two books and then retired; my second agent was in a serious car accident and left the business as he was trying to place "Bleeder."

3) Are Self-published: sort of --- My first novel "The Throne of Tara" came out with Crossway Books in 1990 but after it went out-of-print in 1999 I had it re-issued through iUniverse.com

4) If published for the first time, got an advance: Yes, I received an advance for my first two books; my third - with the small house - did not get an advance.

5)If you have an agent/publisher do you have to do all your own promotion?: Yes. What a time-consuming task. I might hire someone to manage a blog tour.

6) Sell completed manuscripts or book proposals: I sold all three novels as completed manuscripts, though Sophia Institute Press is very interested in the mystery sequel based on a proposal.

[Michelle Sutton]

Hey John, do a blog tour with CFBA! I did one last year and the publicity you'll get is phenomenal!

[Garry R. Kennedy]

1) Yes, Mill City Press POD.
2) No
3) Yes
4) No
5) No agent, all promotion myself
6) No