Is your publisher working with or against you?

One of the most frustrating things in publishing, at least from the author's standpoint, is that when your book is published you are already a has-been in the publishing world. Honest to goodness I cannot figure out just why publishers do what they do...but then I am not a publisher.

I spent a wad to go promote my last book in New York and the publisher didn't even have one of them on display. They were already into the Fall catalog.

Every author has stories. I changed my publisher after my last book based on some of the actions they took that just were not in my best interest. My newest publisher has been better in some ways and worse than others.

As an author, you expect a publisher to assist you with sales and follow-up to media inquiries. If an author is kept in the loop he or she can at least mitigate any oversights--if it is caught. When there is a communciation break down or some other issue and something surfaces--it certain kills the enthusiasm.

Publishers have more books to sell and push than just mine, I am aware of that, but I know that not many authors promote or go after media like I do. I'd like to be confident that they will follow up on those requests in a timely manner--when they don't it makes it hard to move forward.

So, I completely understand why some of my colleagues have bailed on the traditional publishing model and have moved toward subsidized publishing and even self-publishing.

On the one hand, self-publishing and print-on-demand (POD) haved earned bad names due to all the crap that has been produced and then pushed on booksellers. BUT there are some self-published works that went on to be really big sellers for mainstream publishers.

We actually began to require authors to send galleys before allowing them to appear and sign at the Alliance of Writers just because we didn't want any trouble. We had some great self-published works and some real trash.

However, today the pendulum is swinging as far as the mainstream view of self-publishing and POD. Unless some things that may become the only way to get niche books and non-celebrity driven titles.

When looking at the industry, I can't say that I know any other successful industry that allows product to be returned after six months just because it didn't sell or the store wanted to exchange the product for something newer.

Nor do I know businesses who own successful selling products and then stop producing them because they are "old" or too niched.

Since I've recently been getting a lot of media again, I have a small inventory--just for problem situations like the one that came up this week. The author endorsed my book and since he is an artist, he also donated the press kit for my last book. He still did not receive his copy of the book (which was requested back in March of 2007, again in June 2007, and again this week) so I priority shipped one to him to get rid of the pain.

Each book is a learning curve. My next one (*wince*) will also be a perennial, I'll seek another publisher and hope for the best. In the end, I have some of my own projects coming out under my imprint just because they don't fit the same old model. Did I mention a publisher who I shopped it with knocked off a similar series?

Wow.

I'd like to hear your positive publishing experiences...one of my pals is doing great with her publisher. It is her first book so hopefully it will lead to others.