Those of you who follow my blog may not know that our professional staff monitors our presence world wide. I have never written a blog this long but I feel a need to write a “book” today to get some things off my chest. We have a company on retainer that provides information to us when our name, the name of any of our companies, the name of any book we have published or author name in our entire history, or the name of any author or potential author who has submitted to us our contacted us, appears anywhere on the internet or in any media source.
We contact individuals immediately with any concerns or issues and see every one. If you think you can tweet, Facebook, blog, or mention us on a radio show in Tokyo and we do not know, forget it. We see and hear them all and decide what to do and how to reply. If you want to say it, we have a right to hear it. Serious authors who want accurate information are a joy to work with. My problem is that I am stunned on the rare occasion we have a whiner or complainer. The ludicrous statements people make on the web are simply amazing. We give advances to qualifying authors all the time. We pay for 100% of the production, printing and distribution of books we accept. If an author does not have marketing and publicist representation we will pay for that as well and all they are required to invest is a one set up fee which can even be refunded to them under certain situations. If they have qualifying representation we will accept that and there is no set-up fee. We receive tens of thousands of unsolicited submissions and contacts each year and only single digit percentages are considered by our staff. If an author does not qualify for an advance or for us to absorb all the financial risk involved we will even send them a lengthy list of publishers who still consider giving advances as we do and let them contact them directly. They find that they never get an advance from them if they cannot get one from us. The standards are the same. It is more about the author today than about the book.
However, I am stunned when we offer the only and best option for a first-time author in the industry and these individuals whine and complain that we are horrible, ruining their lives, and making the biggest mistake we have ever made by rejecting their book and not giving them an advance or willing to take all the risk. We have learned in the hard knocks of this business that when an unknown author has no risk they are a very questionable author when it comes to their work ethic. Just try going to your bank with a “fabulous” money making idea and see if you can find any banker who will invest in the project and take 100% of the risk. It will not happen. The car dealer, mortgage lender, bank, and Sears expect you to have some risk. But, if an author can bring something to the table we are more than happy to bank roll the whole deal.
My wife and high school sweetheart suggests to me that I am letting my 60++ years get to me and that I was in the intense discipline and honor of the United States Marine Corps one day too many. My age may be a factor but I simply CANNOT STAND whiners and complainers. I read bloggers whining about everything from the popcorn at the movie theatre to the channels they cannot get on cable. It simply drives me nuts. I know I was born in the 40’s and the Second World War had just ended. I know I have had to work for everything I have ever gotten. But today, in America, there is such a wave of entitlement among Americans that it is simply sickening to me. I know that many of you reading this will probably agree with me and some of you will despise me and think you have had such a hard life that you “deserve” a break and I simply don’t understand. Don’t try to go after the hard life story with me or most of the successful business friends I have. Life is challenging and demanding and success comes from never giving up and hard work. Everyone has a hard luck story, myself included. Get over it and get on with your life.
I read an article in the paper this week that caused me to think about our country and the whiners and complainers. That article was the catalyst which caused me to want to write this “War and Peace” length blog and share these thoughts.
A century ago America was the land of the free. Americans had incentive to survive and did not complain or whine about what they were “entitled” to or deserved. I read an article by a national “whine” organization where the executive director stated, “Every American is entitled to and deserves a nice home and nice car to drive. It is their inalienable right!” What a load of nonsense that is. You and I are not entitled to anything but the freedom of choice and the opportunity to work hard toward our goals and have a government that will stay out of our way and try to help and not hinder. The Americans of my birth voted and made decisions for which they took personal responsibility and they always had some skin in the game. Before Social Security Americans averaged saving 15% of their income. Today, it’s less than 3%. Before the great depression there was no unemployment insurance or whiner fund. It is not all government’s fault that citizens today do not have any “skin in the game.” We live in what appears to be a society filled with people who do not want to take a risk, want it to come quickly and easily and believe there should be a “some one else should pay” safety net for every decision they make whether good or bad. We are fooling ourselves if we think our government will save us. Ronald Regan knew that the flaw of big government was to serve the entitlement attitude with government transfer payments and subsidies that would make for a weak society and lazy working class. Thomas Jefferson said, “When the government has the power to give the people what they want without working for it that same government will have the power to take from the people whatever it wants.” Stop whining and get to work. If you own a business, are an author, have a dream, get after it and stop whining. More and more of us are tired of hearing it. Get off your behind at the blog-puter whine machine and get busy working. No one cares anymore and no one is listening to you. They know you need to get to work
Richard Tate
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
TATE PUBLISHING, YOGI BERRA, AND A WEEPING WILLOW TREE
Friends and followers,
Most of my younger readers will not remember the great New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra. He was not only one of the great Yankees of all time but was an absolutely hilarious philosopher. His book of sayings (Yogisms they were called) are very entertaining to say the least. One of his most familar sayings was, "It ain't over 'til it's over!"
Over the years Tate Publishing & Enterprises has grown to the huge success we enjoy today through good times and challenging times. I have never been one to give up. Yogi's statement is encouraging us to keep on keeping on no matter what the circumstances.
As an author, your desire is to find readers. It takes a top notch publisher such as our company investing in your work to make that happen and it also takes determination on your part as an author. You must never give up. I remember standing in the office of our buyer in the large press division of one of the biggest chains in America. We sell an incredible amount of books to that national chain. Bryan Norris and Mark Mingle who lead our marketing divisions are part of the team that goes to New York City each month to pitch the books we publish. Bryan asked her, "What are you looking for in authors right now?" Her answer was immediate. "I want books by authors who are willing to work. I am more concerned about the work ethic of the author than I am about the book." Great insight.
My wife and I spend a great deal of time with our yard and gardening. Three years ago we planted a tiny weeping willow tree. That spring the slim trunk of the tree and two or three tiny branches prepared for the spring growing season. The trunk of that tree was no more than a half inch thick. It finally sprouted a couple of branches and we braced it with a metal pole to give it stability. Overnight an Oklahoma spring storm did disastrous work on the tiny Willow. The storm had broken the tree loose from its metal mooring and its only limb had been broken and now hung limp. We decided it was probably dead and would not survive and at only four feet tall we felt the outcome was determined. It would die. As a last resort and believing "it ain't over 'til it's over" we trimmed off the broken branches, re-attached it to the metal pole for stability and kept on watering the pitiful little remainder. It was NOT over. That spring branches began to appear. Then more leaves. The next season it grew larger and taller. It was fighting the odds. Last weekend my wife and I were sitting in our breakfast nook having a Saturday morning cup of coffee when we noticed the first sign of spring leaf buds on that weeping willow which stood just outside the window. The metal post supporting the tree in it's infancy is long gone. It now stands firmly and proudly on its own. The Oklahoma storms cannot break it now. In only a few short years it has become a survivor and its shade graces our yard and our grandchildren find great fun in running through the dangling and dainty branches. The long slender branches which brush the ground are healthy and strong. The tree towers over the yard and is now almost twenty five feet high. The tree did not give up. We did not give up on the tree. My encouragement to you as an author is to never give up. Keep trimming back the dead stuff and ideas which are not working. Keep watering and working and telling your story. One day you can say about your project what we can say now about that once tiny willow tree. Success is mine.
Richard Tate
Most of my younger readers will not remember the great New York Yankee catcher Yogi Berra. He was not only one of the great Yankees of all time but was an absolutely hilarious philosopher. His book of sayings (Yogisms they were called) are very entertaining to say the least. One of his most familar sayings was, "It ain't over 'til it's over!"
Over the years Tate Publishing & Enterprises has grown to the huge success we enjoy today through good times and challenging times. I have never been one to give up. Yogi's statement is encouraging us to keep on keeping on no matter what the circumstances.
As an author, your desire is to find readers. It takes a top notch publisher such as our company investing in your work to make that happen and it also takes determination on your part as an author. You must never give up. I remember standing in the office of our buyer in the large press division of one of the biggest chains in America. We sell an incredible amount of books to that national chain. Bryan Norris and Mark Mingle who lead our marketing divisions are part of the team that goes to New York City each month to pitch the books we publish. Bryan asked her, "What are you looking for in authors right now?" Her answer was immediate. "I want books by authors who are willing to work. I am more concerned about the work ethic of the author than I am about the book." Great insight.
My wife and I spend a great deal of time with our yard and gardening. Three years ago we planted a tiny weeping willow tree. That spring the slim trunk of the tree and two or three tiny branches prepared for the spring growing season. The trunk of that tree was no more than a half inch thick. It finally sprouted a couple of branches and we braced it with a metal pole to give it stability. Overnight an Oklahoma spring storm did disastrous work on the tiny Willow. The storm had broken the tree loose from its metal mooring and its only limb had been broken and now hung limp. We decided it was probably dead and would not survive and at only four feet tall we felt the outcome was determined. It would die. As a last resort and believing "it ain't over 'til it's over" we trimmed off the broken branches, re-attached it to the metal pole for stability and kept on watering the pitiful little remainder. It was NOT over. That spring branches began to appear. Then more leaves. The next season it grew larger and taller. It was fighting the odds. Last weekend my wife and I were sitting in our breakfast nook having a Saturday morning cup of coffee when we noticed the first sign of spring leaf buds on that weeping willow which stood just outside the window. The metal post supporting the tree in it's infancy is long gone. It now stands firmly and proudly on its own. The Oklahoma storms cannot break it now. In only a few short years it has become a survivor and its shade graces our yard and our grandchildren find great fun in running through the dangling and dainty branches. The long slender branches which brush the ground are healthy and strong. The tree towers over the yard and is now almost twenty five feet high. The tree did not give up. We did not give up on the tree. My encouragement to you as an author is to never give up. Keep trimming back the dead stuff and ideas which are not working. Keep watering and working and telling your story. One day you can say about your project what we can say now about that once tiny willow tree. Success is mine.
Richard Tate
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