Monday, April 27, 2009

IF YOU POST LET US KNOW HOW TO REACH YOU

I have posts from time to time from authors wanting personal questions to be asked.  I had a post last week from a nice lady by the name of Diane and she provided no means of answering her.  If you respond to any of the posts here please let me know how to reach you and I will be DELIGHTED to give you a personal response.  I always answer these queries personally so be sure to give me that contact information.  When you publish a reply to one of my blogs it does not give me your email address and I always prefer replying privately.
Dr. Tate

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

IF YOU EVER ASK ME WHY WE LOVE AND THANK GOD FOR TATE PUBLISHING...READ THIS

Dear Dr. Tate,
 
       Yesterday, April 21, marked the official release of The Twist in the Road, and with hundreds of advance copies in circulation nationwide, the response from people has been tremendous.  My wife and I have received countless cards, letters, and e-mails, but the e-mail which follows is particularly heartwarming.  My father, who is eighty-one years old (but lives life like he's forty-one) was in Nevada in February to meet an old friend (also eighty-one!) regarding a start-up aircraft company.  My dad gave him a copy of my book.  His friend lost his wife last year, and my dad thought that he might appreciate a copy of my book.  The e-mail his friend sent me pretty much tells the story, so I am forwarding it to you with his permission.

  " I want to thank you and your staff for your knowledge, expertise and guidance as my story went from a rough manuscript to a marketable product.  In the last few months, Sharon and I have spoken to numerous organizations and have shared our story about the adversities we have overcome, and it is always gratifying to watch people light up as they listen to us.  Through our challenges, God has given us a vehicle to be able to make a difference to others; through Tate Publishing, we have the springboard that we need to do the work God has called us to do.  God bless you all!

IF SHE HAD PUBLISHED WITH TATE SHE WOULD HAVE REALIZED MORE INCOME...

Insightful article from a lady who was on the NYT bestseller list: http://www.genreality.net/the-reality-of-a-times-bestseller

A few years ago I made a promise to my writer friends that if I ever had a novel hit the top twenty of the New York Times mass market bestseller list that I would share all the information I was given about the book so writers could really see what it takes to get there. Today I’m going to keep that promise and give you the stats on my sixth Darkyn novel, Twilight Fall.
Here is the first royalty statement for Twilight Fall, on which I’ve only blanked out Penguin Group’s address. Everything else is exactly as I’ve listed it. To give you a condensed version of what all those figures mean, for the sale period of July through November 30, 2008. my publisher reports sales of 64,925 books, for which my royalties were $40,484.00. I didn’t get credit for all those sales, as 21,140 book credits were held back as a reserve against possible future returns, for which they subtracted $13,512.69 (these are not lost sales; I’m simply not given credit for them until the publisher decides to release them, which takes anywhere from one to three years.)
My net earnings on this statement was $27,721.31, which was deducted from my advance. My actual earnings from this statement was $0.
My advance for Twilight Fall was $50,000.00, a third of which I did not get paid until the book physically hit the shelf — this is now a common practice by publishers, to withhold a portion of the advance until date of publication. Of that $50K, my agent received $7,500.00 as her 15% (which she earns, believe me) the government received roughly $15,000.00, and $1594.27 went to cover my expenses (office supplies, blog giveaways, shipping, promotion, etc.) After expenses and everyone else was paid, I netted about $26K of my $50K advance for this book, which is believe it or not very good — most authors are lucky if they can make 10% profit on any book. This should also shut up everyone who says all bestselling authors make millions — most of us don’t.

Friday, April 17, 2009

AND THE BEAT GOES ON...THANKS!!

Dear Dr. Tate,
 
     We just wanted to share a picture from K's first book signing. The staff at Borders said that her signing was one of the best they've had. She sold 30 books in 2 hours. We would like to thank you once again for believing in her and helping us out so much. Your staff has been wonderful, and Karrah hopes to make you proud.
 
Thank you again,
D, S and K

THESE EMAILS MAKE MY DAY!!

Dear Dr. Tate,
    I have just received my personal copies of my book Dogs at Large and I am thoroughly pleased with everything about the book and the service given by everyone in all departments.
    I know you receive a lot of these testimonials, but I would like to mention two qualities I have been especially impressed with in dealing with Tate Publishing.
    First, at every stage of the publishing process, you do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it! How rare it is to find this level of efficiency in the business world today.
    Secondly, you responded to me, as the author and you actually listened to my concerns and suggestions. Again, such a rarity!
    It has been a truly rewarding and refreshing experience to work with everyone at Tate Publishing.
 
    Warmest thanks,
    PC