Which Way are You "Leaning" Today?

My wife and I took a nice "road trip" this weekend across southern Oklahoma to visit the beautiful Chickasaw Cultural History Center and Museum. One of the exhibits was particularly interesting to me. As the early Chickasaw tribe moved west from the current area which is Memphis, Tennessee they determined their direction of travel by using a "totem" pole. Each night when the group camped for the evening, the chief would stick the pole in the ground in a perpendicular position. In the morning, whatever direction the pole was "leaning" was the direction the tribe would travel that day. The morning the chief awoke to find pole had not "leaned" at all but remained upright was his indication they had arrived at their permanent location.
As I thought about this tradition it reminded me of the scripture in Proverbs 3:5 which reminds us, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and LEAN not unto your own understanding..." I had to stop and ask myself if I am following my own understanding or "leaning" on God for His direction and insight for the direction to follow each day. If I begin each day by "planting" the Word of God in my life and asking it for direction then my steps will certainly be ordered by a higher power who knows the exact path I need to take on my journey. What "pole" do you and I plant every day to see which way it "leans?" I trust it will always be the clear, concise, and encouraging Word of God. Which way are you leaning today?

DON'T WASTE THE GIFT YOU ARE GIVEN EACH SECOND...

I have enjoyed for decades the blessing of sitting in the "husbands" chair at a nice ladies dress shop while I waited for my wonderful wife to try on clothes. While she is in and out of the dressing room having the time of her life I can sit and reflect on how grateful I am that I am waiting on her and not someone else!
This past Saturday I found myself in that position once again. Ladies shops really know how to handle the guys. The chairs are almost always comfortable and there are lot's of copies of sports and business magazines available. The really nice ones have coffee. I leaned my head back into the recliner and closed my eyes to rest and wait until I heard her sweet voice when she appeared from the dressing room saying, "Honey, what do you think of this outfit?"
As I drifted into a doze the shop was so dead quiet I noticed I could feel my heart beating. Bump-bump. Bump-bump. On and on it beat steadily. As I listened I imagined that each beat was saying "A-gift," "A-gift," "A-gift." Every beat of your heart and of mine is indeed a wonderful gift from God. We can help the process by eating correctly and exercising but only God knows how many of those beats He will give us. In the average 70 year life span the human heart beats about 2.52 BILLION times. One day God, who counts and gives every beat as a gift, will say, "That's it, that was number 2,520,000,000" It will be over. Since we all know that is going to happen whether we like it or not why in heaven's name would we waste a single moment, of the gift of the beat this second of our heart? I see people every day who waste the precious gift of beat after beat with complaining, worry, fear, anger, hatred, selfishness, and bitterness. We all need to take life seriously. But don't waste the moments God has given you. Stop for a moment and get quiet. I think you will hear it beating out the words, "A-gift," "A-gift." Use that gift wisely.

Richard Tate

HOW TO SELL 70 MILLION BOOKS-A CONVERSATION WITH JERRY JENKINS

We were delighted to have Jerry Jenkins visit Tate Publishing last week to discuss his future books, The Christian Writers Guild and Guide, and several other possibilities. We were honored he chose to come and discuss with us numerous options.

When it comes to selling books in the Christian publishing market, you won't find a much bigger name than Jerry B. Jenkins , co-author of the Left Behind series of books. Along with his co-author, Tim LaHaye, Jenkins has had 16 bestsellers in the series, with more than 70 million copies sold. To say Jenkins knows something about selling books is like saying a fish knows something about being wet.

Jenkins also heads the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, which offers courses geared toward helping aspiring writers perfect their craft. It was in this role that Jenkins visited the offices of Tate Publishing today to take a tour and see what our company was all about. It's not everyday you get to do a Q & A with an author who has sold 70 million books about what it takes to sell those books. Surely, there must be some secret, right?

When I am given the opportunity to ask an author like Jenkins questions about book promotion and marketing, I try to do it from the standpoint of an author trying to make it in the industry, not as someone who sells books for a living. With this introduction now out of the way, I will let Jenkins explain how things work in the publishing industry, in his own words (from notes taken during our meetings).

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

"Too many authors think everything starts with their book. Starting your writing career with a book is like a five year old starting graduate school. Writers need to work up to their first book by writing articles and short stories and perfecting their craft."

What kind of expectations should a new author have with their first book?

"(New) authors are thoroughly unrealistic. They think that "if my book was just in a bookstore it would become a bestseller. If only I could get on Oprah." It takes word of mouth, telling people about your book, attending conferences, doing speaking engagements and getting the word out. Authors are going to do most of the work, and they need to. Publishers count on authors being the Number One salesperson. Nobody knows more about their book and can speak about it with more passion than the author."

Something that appeals to me about Tate Publishing is the personal attention they offer. This is a tough game, and if you are intimidated by the odds of making it in the publishing industry, this may not be the game for you. Use those long odds as a challenge to be one of the authors who do make it."

What is the difference between marketing your first book and promoting your more recent books?

"It really doesn't change. When Left Behind became a bestseller and was doing so well we just held on for dear life. Look at bestsellers as a season. They don't last, and one bestseller doesn't mean your next book is going to be a bestseller. Just because a book has my name on it or I wrote Left Behind doesn't mean it's automatically going to be a bestseller. It always takes work, speaking engagements and conferences. The work doesn't change regardless of success."

At this point, Jenkins' wife of 40 years, Dianna, pointed out that Jenkins hires his own publicists when it's time to promote another book.

What advice do you have for authors who are struggling with book sales?

Most authors miss it. They think most of the promotion starts at the beginning when the book is released. Most publishers stop promoting a book after six months to a year. New York publishers stop promoting after three months or less if the book doesn't take off. Then it's all on the author. When you still have 1,000 or 2,000 books left to sell, THAT'S the time to really start promoting. Hire a publicist. Get interviews. Speak at conferences. Connect with the audience with which you are an expert. Even if there are only 50 people there, that's 49 more people than you are talking to right now.

Nothing is going to happen automatically. Word of mouth is the best sales tool, and that should come from the author. There are no shortcuts."

Jenkins stated "If you are intimidated by the odds, you are in the wrong profession. It should be a motivation."

We were delighted to have Jerry here touring our campus, speaking to our staff, and sharing with us his visions and dreams. We look forward to working with him in the coming days.

TATE AUTHORS LOVE WHAT TATE DOES FOR THEIR BOOK

I have a friend that Tate is considering to publish. He wrote to me for an opinion..
I have been proud to be part of Tate, even though it has been a small part.
Dianna and I will be coming to you in the future with our projects.
Feel free to call on us to give an opinion if needed for those looking for people such as Tate to do their projects.

We all agree that Tate is great at what they do.
My friend Jeff B. will be signing with you soon as well. He asked me and I recommended you and will continue to do so.

God bless Tate.
Blessings
John L.

I LOVE TO SHARE TATE PUBLISHING GOOD NEWS LIKE THIS EMAIL

I am not a real "blogger" like some of our staff who are prone to share their professional insight into the industry. I do that from time to time but many times I like to share phone calls, emails, letters, and other contacts I receive (and I get hundreds) from folks who talk about their experience with Tate Publishing. We are aware at Tate Publishing that manufacturing and producing a book is critical work but a critical part of our intense efforts is in marketing. I received the following email this week and I was so pleased I wanted to share this information with you. I am like a proud father of the work of our dozens of professionals in every division. The email was forwarded to me by one of our marketing staff.

Richard Tate
Founder


Dr. Tate,

I just spoke with the manager of a bookstore, whose name is Ray...he told me the following:

He recommends Tate Publishing to potential authors because he is familiar with our titles and is impressed with the quality of our cover design and editing. He said that he is approached by self-published authors at least twice a day, and “there is no comparison” between our product and the titles that the self-published authors present. In his words “you provide a valuable service.”

He knows we are selective, and that the titles we sell have gone through editing, design and layout. He was also impressed that our authors are assigned a marketing representative. He said he often deals with authors who are completely on their own, and their events are always failures. His store does carry Tate Publishing titles on the shelf.
Ray was impressed by the book signing event support that we offer to our authors, which he says nobody else provides, “unless you’re a bestselling author.”

Just thought I would pass along that some of our biggest fans are bookstores which are familiar with our work.

AUTHORS MEAN ALL THE WORLD TO US AT TATE PUBLISHING

The email below just came to me and I simply had to add this to my "brag blog!" This author has done several books with us and is so typical of the happy authors we love to work with. I just heard from a prospective author who said she heard about Tate Publishing from one of our authors at a book signing for that author our marketing division had set up in Indianapolis. She said that the Tate author she met was one of the nicest people she had ever encountered. Thanks to each of our fine staff for making these kind of remarks possible.
Dr. Tate

EMAIL FOLLOWS...

Hey Guys-

I wanted to take the time to let you know how truly grateful I am to be a part of making a difference in the world, with you. I had such a great sense of joy to see you in person (sorry I missed you Trinity) and seeing TATE in action first hand. It is obvious to me that GOD is supporting your efforts and will continue to bless all that you do. I saw GOD working through each one of you, and everyone that I met in person. As I continue to surrender to where I am called to be, and how I can use my time here to serve the highest good, I know that being a part of the TATE family is a part of that calling.

It has been a honor for me to see you guys grow in the many ways that you have. I commend all of your efforts and devotions to being a part of the change that we need to see. I love you all and appreciate you very much so.

Keep doing what you do!

With gratitude-

RR, Florida

NO ECONOMIC WOES WITH TATE PUBLISHING OR TATE MUSIC GROUP!!!

I have been watching the economy with great interest as I am sure many of you are as well. I cannot pick up a newspaper, turn on the radio, or listen to the evening news without hearing that "Chicken Little" is running rampant across our nation proclaiming that "the sky is falling, the sky is falling!" I realize there are difficult issues Americans must face regarding their personal financial situations. My prayers are with them each day in my personal quiet time in the morning. Each Monday morning when our entire company meets for a time of prayer requests for our authors and staff we continue to lift up in prayer the financial needs of our fellow Americans.
The good news is that Tate Publishing and Tate Music Group are, in the midst of all that is happening, growing daily. We continue to add new jobs, and increase our sales and marketing position in both industries, while we maintain our corporate policy of remaining debt free. We have just improved our print and production facility and even though it was already state-of-the-art, the new color processing equipment just purchased and installed at our plant has taken our products to an even higher level of quality. If you are an author or artist with Tate Publishing or Tate Music Group, you are part of a growing, dynamic company that has never been in better financial condition. Thanks to each of you for makiing this possible and to all our outstanding staff who work with diligence and fervor to keep Tate at the top of the list of successful companies.

TATE PUBLISHING IS GROWING AND EXPANDING WHILE OTHER PUBLISHERS ARE DECLINING AND CUTTING BACK

Tate Publishing is experiencing unprecedented growth. We are so thrilled to have this kind of progressive corporate success at a time when others are cutting back and declining. We have just been informed by Ingram Wholesalers, the world's largest wholesale bookseller that we are the fastest growing publisher they have and that we are #17 in sales. We have never seen more submissions and are adding new staff in all departments. Growth is everywhere for which we are grateful. Royalties are climbing to authors and Tate Publishing remains debt free.

Recent new articles tell a different story around the industry. For instance:

-Simon & Schuster cut 2% of its total workforce.

-Michael Hyatt announced that Thomas Nelson is cutting 10% of its workforce.

-Random House axed some of its top people and announced it is restructuring--and will disband the Doubleday Publishing Group.

-It has been reported that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has let go of several employees (the company doesn't comment on personnel matters). Becky Saletan, the publisher, has been let go.

-Borders' stock price fell under one dollar. That's a very bad thing--if their stock price stays under $1 for ninety days, they have to do a consolidation of stock (the opposite of a stock split).

-Doubleday reported that The Gargoyle, a first novel for which it paid $1.25 million in advances, flopped, selling 34,000 copies.

-Penguin Group chairman and CEO John Makinson there will be no pay raises this year. He said he cannot guarantee there will be no job losses or layoffs in the coming year.

-Macmillan US Chief John Sargent set a pay freeze for all employees.

-Chronicle Books laid off 5% of it's staff last Monday.

I hate to see this happening but for those few authors who are signed with Tate Publishing, and for our incredible staff of dozens and dozens of fine professionals we are grateful for our growth which is a result of our hard work and the hard work of our fine authors. We are planning for a banner year in 2009.

TATE PUBLISHING AND THE ACORN TO THE OAK TREE

I was talking with an aspiring author today and could hear the excitement, enthusiasm, passion, and heart in every one of his words for his book. He, like so many I have spoken with over the years, want to profit financially but at the heart of his dream and vision was not money. It was something more powerful. He wants to see lives changed by people picking up his book, reading his thoughts, and implementing his ideas and principles in their lives. This is what really excited him and what was at the center of what he wanted as an aspiring writer.
As he spoke on, I kept glancing at a small item I have had on my desk for years. It is a simple acorn. A little tiny acorn. It is a constant reminder to me that all great achievements start small and with nurture and persistence they can become a mighty oak. As the old parable states when the man asked God to make him like a mighty oak, God answered, "Certainly," and gave him an acorn. Starting as a published author is so similar. You must work with us as your publisher to get the book done well, produced beautifully, marketed with enthusiasm, and then watch it grow. Eventually you have a mighty oak that casts benefit and shade to all who gather under it's branches. The pages of your book is filled with leaves. The leaves of a book and the leaves of a mighty oak tree are so similar. They both take time and lot's of effort. We partner together to make that happen. We are gratified to have been informed that in 2009 we will be one of the top ten book sellers in the industry with the world's largest book wholesaler. It did not happen overnight. Remember the lesson of the acorn. We have.

PUBLISHING A BOOK WITH TATE PUBLISHING SUCCESS FOR AUTHORS

I was "musing" today about this publishing world and aspiring authors and as Disney's Snow White I felt like standing at the wishing well and singing my own version of "I'm Wishing." She was wishing for a handsome prince. I would be wishing for ten minutes on national television to speak to the 85% of all Americans who we are told by the AAP say they have a book in them. There is so much misunderstanding about how the system works today and the myriad of options available. Self-publishing, vanity presses, subsidy publishing, imprints, traditional publishing, and the list of options is seemingly endless. At Tate Publishing, we have developed an immensely successful model which gives aspiring authors their only real hope at the traditional publishing model. We can give an author an advance if their project and author profile meet certain specifications. The rules we use to determine whether an advance is justified (and we have given many, many author advances over the years) is the exact same process that any traditional publisher uses. We received in 2007 tens of thousands of submissions from around the world and only 3% were considered for publication. At least those individuals who submitted had a chance for publishing. No one else is even looking at or accepting unsolicited manuscripts. The biggest difference in the few authors who get to publish with Tate Publishing is this key element. We give them a great opportunity. This week alone we gave two second book authors with us nice advances. The have earned it. I will just keep on telling the story correctly and leave the "wishing well" to Disney princesses for now.

TATE PUBLISHING AUTHORS WRITE A BOOK AND APPEAR ON LIFETIME TELEVISION ABOUT GETTING PUBLISHED

Tate Publishing authors Les and Sharon Duncan to Appear on LifeTime Television’s HealthCorner

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: October 14, 2008. Les and Sharon Duncan are scheduled to be on the season premier of the popular television series, HealthCorner, January 4th, 2009.

Les, the author of Brain Storms; Surviving Catastrophic Illness, and a survivor of four brain hemorrhages and two brain surgeries suffers from cavernous angioma, an incurable disease that causes veins in the brain and spine to become knotted and tangled, and sometimes bleed resulting in stroke and/or seizure.

“Each time Les had a brain hemorrhage our lives changed instantly. One moment, he was able to see, hear, walk, and talk – the next minute he was severely handicapped and so many things we had taken for granted were gone”, says Sharon Duncan.

Cavernous angioma is the most common form of vascular malformation in the world, affecting 1 in every 150 people, but it is little known because the condition is often mis-diagnosed as an aneurysm or stroke without exploring the underlying cause. In a recent interview Les said, “There is a real need to raise awareness of this debilitating disease both in the medical community and amongst the general public. I am honored that Lifetime TV and Health Corner have given us this opportunity.” They always wanted to publish a book on this subject and Tate Publishing Company made their dream a reality.

Health Corner airs every Sunday morning on the Lifetime network at 9:30 a.m. Eastern/8:30 a.m. Central. (http://www.mylifetime.com/lifestyle/health/walgreens-health-corner-1)