The Hybrid Nightmare

 Hi all. Thanks for joining me again. The continuing saga of Kim's tempestuous journey through the publishing world...

Finally, I had decided to try the traditional rout or indi-publishing, either way I would be taking control. I bought some books on publishers, agents, and learning opportunities. I wrote a query letter and sent it out. To my surprise I received several replies from agents interested in the story...AND how many copies I had sold. *sigh* It was made very clear to me that while it was a good story, the fact that it had been self published and hadn't sold a ton of copies no one was going to pick me up--at least for my series. I do have hopes for my next project if I choose to go traditionally though. However, the Resistance series was now in my hands alone.

I started doing research into the indi world and was feeling good about doing some workshops, and since I had a loose understanding of type set and how books should look, I was excited to get started. Then the call came from Greenberry Press and hubris took over. Honestly, what do you do when out of the blue you get a call from an "agent" telling you they saw your book out there and really want to work with you? I was flattered, excited, and very dubious. However, mistakenly I listened to the spiel and looked into it.

I was told that it was not the same as vanity press and that it was a hybrid model. (If I'd taken the time to think, I would have worked out that it really was the same.) While I still would pay a price to have them do the publishing work, it was considerably less and I would get 100% of the royalties AND I would get to set the sales price. I thought well, this is different and would save me time...let me think about it. In my gut I KNEW it was a bad idea. I talked to some people about it, and began to question if I should let my "fear" of what happened before stop me from trying something new. I talked myself into going forward, and got both of my books on-line very quickly (after all they were already formatted and ready to go from Tate publishing).

Suddenly (once again) no one answered my calls. I could not get answers to email. My gut started telling my head "see I told you so!!!" Finally, and I don't remember how, I got in touch with the owner of Greenberry Publishing and she told me how half of the group split and were starting another company. Of course the agent I was with was going the other way to Westwood Books Publishing. The owner of Greenberry told me that they were not changing their name and that my books would still be with them. I should have just got out then, but I pressed on.

My agent got in touch with me a few days later to let me know of the change, and I told him that I wanted to stay with Greenberry, so I wouldn't have to make changes. In my head I was screaming, "but what if they publish my book without my permission? They have the copies I sent. What will I do? They're in California." Ugh! Thankfully Westwood Books did not publish my books, but other authors I spoke with from Greenberry had jumped over to the new press and no one seemed to know what was going on. THEN, Greenberry decided to change their name to Authorspress and once again my book went through a change. On Amazon I had copies of my first book being sold second hand...Tate publishing was out of business so those were at least gone...my first and second book were under Greenberry and Authorspress now, and I didn't know how to get paid, or how things would work, so finally I said "ENOUGH". 

I got in touch with now Authorspress and told them I wanted my book taken off their shelves and removed from Amazon. It took a while for them to remove the copies they had printed (without paying me of course), but Amazon was another matter. In very small confusing print in the contract it said that they would remove it from Amazon but it was my job to get other sellers to remove them. Well, since I hadn't sold any copies or received any payment, and the books were print on demand, I figure okay...until I looked up my book on Amazon and saw it in MANY place with many sellers.

Another nightmare of figuring out how a print on demand book, that had not sold any copies could be sold by third parties when the publishing company no longer had permission to sell it was mind blowing. I still honestly don't understand how it all works. Anyway, I had to get in touch with Ingram Spark (a self-publishing company with a global distribution network, that allows self-published authors to publish and distribute print books and and eBooks) personally and have them remove the books from sale. However, they said that the publishing company had to send them a message to remove the books. The publishing company said I had to do it. So after weeks of talking with Ingram Sparks and Authorspress/Greenberry press I finally got all the "print on demand" books taken down. 

I still get exhausted thinking about it all. It took me a good year before I was ready to do any more publishing...which did give me time to finish my third novel and get it beta read and edited. Are you all as exhausted as I am??? Well, next week I will finish my journey with where I am now, which is KDP.

Good writing and peace be with you all!!!.