I received an e-mail today frm one of my writerly friends, a cool little chickie that hails from CA. When I sent out my very first query letter, back in 2000, she helped me - teaching me what a query was, finding out who exactly I needed to address the query to, and helping me fine tune and leading to my very first publishing credit, an article on coping with the death of an infant, appearing in a regional parenting magazine in Washington.

We have both taken breaks from writing, her for her children, me for a nasty divorce, but we always end up coming back. This past year, her spirit has been broken, feeling like she has worked hard but has not found any writerly success. About six months ago, she received an e-mail in her inbox from an organization called Tate Publishing, telling her that they would like to publish her work. As soon as I read the words Tate Publishing, red flags went up for me. Oh no, please say she didn’t! I have received a zillion e-mails from this organization in the past x amount of years, all going directly to my spam folder. But she did it, falling hook, line, and sinker - wanting to see her name published somewhere, despite the reputation the follows the publishing company.

Now, perhaps this sounds pretentious, and maybe it is - but any publisher that wants YOU to pay THEM to publish your book isn’t a real publisher. They may operate under the guise of a publisher, but they are not. Publishing houses, REAL PUBLISHING HOUSES, pay YOU. Tate operates in the whole “meeting of the mind” concept, stating that after you invest your initial $4000, if you sell x amount of books, they will give your $4000 back to you. Worse yet, this company operates as a “christian publisher!” I do not know how the people running this organization sleep at night, but apparently they do.

A side note, the man in charge of Tate Publishing claims that they reject 95% of all manuscripts sent to them. Why do they send spam e-mails telling people they want to work with them? Why are they offereing publishing contracts TO CHILDREN! This is factually and intellectually dishonest, but, unfortunately, people simply don’t do their homework.

Another publisher that operates under much of the same guise as Tate Publishing is Publish America. You send them your manuscript, they pay you a royalty of $1.00, and ask for a list of people to try to pawn your books off on. Again, those in charge deny this, however a group of writers from different areas in the country decided to try. Publish America claims that they will not publish science fiction. These individuals each wrote different chapters, submitted it, and what do you know? THEIR MANUSCRIPT WAS ACCEPTED. And honestly, it was the most backwards writing I have ever read.

I have been with my publisher for a couple of years. I am currently trying to get out of my contract, based on breach on their part. They paid me an advance for both my books, an advance that funded my move from Wisconsin down South. That is how a real publisher works!!! As a first time novelist your advance may not be much, but it is still an advance, and they certainly will not ask you to pay money. Additionally, books published by Tate Publishing and Publish America are so highly over-priced that you will have a hard time REALLY selling them. The marketing they promise - listings on every book website - can be done if one choses to self publish and they purchase and ISBN # for $100.00!!!!

My friend would have been much better off going to one of the web sites that provide printing services and buying copies to place in book stores and self-publish. It certainly would not have cost her $4000.00 and she would not have the stigma attached to writers that publish with these companies. Sadly, by publishing with one of these publishers, other writers will have a hard time taking you seriously, no matter how great the book that you have written is.

Writers, beware of companies like this! Don’t allow yourself to fall for the hardline sales routine they give you and DO YOUR RESEARCH!