Buzz
by John Wolf

This has been an interesting month. I traveled the Southwest and from what I've seen, America is doing better than what the media would lead you to believe. With books, we continue to see the slide of the paperbacked bound volume. The geeks are in full carbon-mircofiber armor, delivering the next G of electronic cleverness. It's good to note that an ordinary author like you and I caught the ear of an agent from a traditional publisher, one that's small, but nevertheless in the business of helping authors bring great stories to the rest of us. I thought I'd share a message from Jill Cline of Aberdeen Bay:

"The majority of prior experience I had had with the world of publishing was reading reviews and buying books for three school libraries during my 35 year tenure as librarian. After I retired, due to a series of unforeseen events, I became privy to an amazing story of community service and felt compelled to tell the world about it. I wrote a local history book The Little Town That Did: Springport Builds The Arches and, through connections with a good church friend, submitted it to Aberdeen Bay Publisher for perusal. Andy Zhang, the CEO, liked it and agreed to publish it. I was so new to the publishing world that I had no clue how rare that was.

Now, two years later, I work for Andy as Acquisitions Editor at Aberdeen Bay. I have spent considerable time reading Internet articles, picking Andy’s brain, talking to prospective authors, following blogs, and reading books like 1001 Ways To Market Your Books by John Kremer, in an effort to understand where the publishing industry is heading. It is an interesting and changing landscape, that’s for sure. E-books looming large on the horizon, traditional publishers cutting staff, the economic recession changing consumers into bargain hunting demons, an array of self publishers offering a wide divergence of services in all price ranges: all contribute to an exciting but confusing mosaic of choices.

What’s an author to do? Many tell me that it’s hard to get anyone at a publishing house to pay attention to you if you don’t have a string of publishing successes to your name.  An unsolicited manuscript will likely be tossed in the trash. That’s discouraging, because one thing I AM sure of is that a true author will keep writing in the face of all types of discouragement. Writing is part of who they are. My dad was a policeman and he used to say everyone has a bit of larceny in their heart. It’s my experience, in recent days, that almost everyone has a book in their soul.

The reason I say that is that Aberdeen Bay does take unsolicited manuscripts. And we do read them. I know because I read them, every one. They flood my mailbox and arrive by UPS and Fed Ex couriers. I have a co-editor  who alternates months with me and she reads them too.

One of Andy’s great joys is helping a new author realize his or her dream of publication. He dreams of a future where older authors can counsel the newbies, where colleagues can trade tips on promotion successes, and where little by little, with perseverance, an author, even a new one, can sell his or her books to enough folks that the “ripple effect” of recognition may lead to larger markets and greater successes.

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It’s an exciting occupation, that’s for sure. When a book like Red Flag Warning by Kurt Kamm unfolds on my  lap as I sit in my brown recliner,  I feel a part of something wonderful. Many of the manuscripts I read are just plain great.

Aberdeen asks a lot of our authors and we lay it on the line up front.  Although our company will foot the costs of publication, the authors will provide ninety-nine per cent of the work that will market their book.  By contract, we require each author to sell a minimum number of copies in thirteen months. In an environment where 1400 new books are published a month, where video games and movies and television shows are clamoring for everyone’s leisure time investment,  that takes some effort. But, I can attest from personal experience, that it’s worth  it and I wouldn’t have missed that part of the ride.

Receiving a good review, getting a congratulatory letter in the mail from someone who read your book, signing copies and chatting with interested folks who have their own ideas for their own books…all these are things that bring much satisfaction.

I guess the truth is that I love seeing the 'other' side of the world of publishing. I admire authors who create characters and other worlds in their heads and are brave enough to share them with the world. I am happy to be a tiny part of bringing their stories to the reading world.

For the most recent details about our company, submission requirements and more, check us out at www.aberdeenbay.com."

And there you have it, testimony from a real agent where the dream is still alive without a 10020 zip code. I want to thank Jill for sending me this "unsolicited" manuscript. It's people like this that the Fox&Quill seeks for keepin' it real for our readers.

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"A poet must leave traces of his passage, not proof." - Rene Char
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