First Steps Publishing

Oregon Coast Publishing : For Authors Seeking a Solid Foundation

self-publishing

FIRESIDE PRESS- Self-Publishing Division of First Steps Publishing

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FIRESIDE PRESS (CM Publishing / Soul Fire Press), is the hybrid division of FSP, offering the same professional services. Our titles are regularly reviewed by First Steps Publishing for new, talented authors. While there are no guarantee of the number of titles First Steps will sign each year, this is a way to get your foot in the door.

Fireside Press (CM Publishing / Soul Fire Press)
Publishing with a Personal Touch

OPEN SUBMISSIONS

FIRESIDE SUBMISSION FORM

Starting Cost: $3499

Print/ Ebook Earning: 50% royalty.

What does the fee for Hybrid Publishing include?

PRICING: $3499

Hybrid and Self-Publishing Package includes:

  • Proofreading of final manuscript (one-time read through)
  • Professionally designed interior layout
  • An original, professionally designed book cover
  • Purchase and assignment of ISBNs
  • Metadata management
  • Inclusion in catalogs to libraries and the book trade internationally
  • Hardback, paperback, and ebook formatting
  • Free copies of the book (5 PBK, 1 HBK)*
  • Author book purchase at 40% above print cost* (Example: $5 print cost/book, Author price = $7/book
    • We want you to succeed in your writing career, so we keep your purchase price low.
  • 50% Royalties for Print and Ebook* (net sales)
  • Worldwide sales and distribution to brick-and-mortar bookstores and libraries. Through Ingram Spark / Lightning Source, we are connected to the ordering systems of 40,000 independent and chain bookstores, libraries, and online retailers worldwide, plus every major e-book retailer (including iBookstore, Kobo, Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, etc.)
  • Promotion through Social Media, our newsletter*
  • Media Kit. We work with you to create a base media kit:
    • Print/Web headshots (S, M, LG)
    • Print/Web cover (full, flat, and 3D)
    • Interview Questions / Answers
    • Sales sheet handout
    • Social Media Banner Ad
    • Press Release

*Not included in self-publishing package

What are the criteria for selection of titles?

We base our initial decision on the QUERY LETTER and your writing sample, then decide whether to request the full MS.

Quality of the writing: We are seeking well-written manuscripts that are engaging, well-structured, and well-edited. We also consider whether the writing style is appropriate for the intended audience, such as thrillers, suspense, cozy, historical, contemporary, etc.

Marketability of the book: FSP wants to work with authors whose books will be able to sell well in the market. They consider factors such as the book’s genre, the target audience, and the competition in the market.

Author platform: FSP may consider an author’s platform, which is the author’s visibility and reach in the market. This can include an author’s social media following, their reputation in their field, and their previous publication credits. While not a requirement, FSP strongly recommends some form of online presence.

Feasibility of the project: FSP needs to consider whether a book project is feasible from a financial standpoint – considering factors such as the length of the book, the potential market for the book, and the production costs.

Fit with our publishing list: FSP has a specific focus and set of goals for our publishing program, and will consider whether a particular book aligns with those goals.

 

Raison d’ Etre by Jeremy Soldevilla

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Their Creek by Jeremy Soldevilla
Their Creek by Jeremy Soldevilla

by Jeremy Soldevilla | CMP

I’ve always loved books and I’ve always loved writing. That’s why I became an English Literature major at Boston University and why I spent the next 40+ years in the publishing industry, why I started writing novels and why I started one of the first hybrid publishing operations.

I’ve worked in senior positions for some of the largest publishers in the U.S. and England, publishing professional references, college texts, academic journals, scientific books and trade titles. In the process, I’ve come across writers good, bad and ugly. It’s the hopefuls, the wannabes, that I’ve been attracted to. Once anyone discovers you know something about publishing, the flood of questions begins. I won’t give examples here because we’ve all been inundated with them.The queries always start with “I’ve always wanted to write a book,” or “I’ve got this book I’ve been working on, and . . . ,” or “My friend/sister/neighbor/ has this book . . .”  And then the questions begin, seeking the secret to becoming that coveted honor: A Published Author.

I’ve broken the hearts of the bad and uglies by rejecting their work. But I’ve always tried to let them down gently, giving some glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel with suggestions for finding editorial help, books on writing and sometimes the stiff slap of reality that they need.

It’s the good, not great, but good writers that I am drawn to. Those people who have the basic abilities to write well, tell a compelling story, a witty story or an inspirational story that can move a reader. The writer who, though far from perfect (is there such a creature?), has some writing that deserves to be shared, to be read, to be enjoyed. It’s these writers that I want to be the champion for. Give them a chance in an industry that is too often too quick to dismiss or ignore their nascent talent. The ones who need some nurturing, a helpful hand, an encouraging word. And who, with that help, begin to blossom into not just a scribbler, but a bona fide author.

In writing my own books, I’ve experienced the soul-crushing rejection of my work by agents and publishers, as well as the insulting lack of any response at all to the scores of queries I’ve submitted. And I get it. I know personally the editor’s need to give cursory glances to submissions, eager to find the quickest reason to reject a manuscript and move on to the next one in the towering sysyphusianstack of writings on their desks or in their email.

But somewhere in that pile there is a seed that with some sunlight and watering can evolve into a beautiful plant if just given some time and healthy soil in which to grow. Okay, that analogy is a little flowery, but you get my point. And that’s where I like to step in.

Having basic writing skills is not enough to become published. One needs to learn the craft of writing, and that only comes with years of practice, learning and studying. We as publishers can facilitate that education, and it is our responsibility as the gatekeepers of literature to encourage and show the way to those who truly have the goods. The goods not necessarily to produce the next best-seller, but the goods to hone their craft to produce work that moves, educates and entertains others in a unique and/or meaningful way.

The big New York houses have to meet untenable sales goals, and for that reason, they must reject all but a minute fraction of the work sent to them. And that’s as it should be, I suppose. But in the process, many worthy manuscripts are overlooked, and the humble writer who has put his or her heart and soul into their story has their dreams and talent quashed. I, for one, am honored to ferret those hopefuls out and give them the chance they deserve.

I have a quote from Richard Bach posted above my desk that reads: “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”

Jeremy Soldevilla

Jeremy Soldevilla was the founder of Christopher Matthews Publishing. (1948-2018)

Marketing Tip: Easy Shortened URLs for Amazon Authors

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Amazon has an easy and ‘short’ way to promote your Amazon products. And this isn’t new. Amazon quietly created its own URL shortener for all its products at least three years ago (2009). This move allows Amazon to take better advantage of the popular microblogging service Twitter as well as mobile texting.

How it Works

Authors can now type “amzn.com/” plus a product number (ISBN or ASIN) to create a short URL, without needing sites like tinyurl.com and bit.ly.

For example, when promoting JOOLA: Africa’s Titanic on Twitter, I took the products ASIN number (listed on the product page) and added it to the end of amzn.com. JOOLA: Africa’s Titanic ASIN number (Amazon Standard Identification Number) is B00AM0G3L8 so the shortened URL would be amzn.com/B00AM0G3L8.

I then created a Twitter post and included the shortened URL link:

LE JOOLA capsizes 17 mi. off the African coast. The harrowing true stories and shameful actions of those responsible. amzn.com/B00AM0G3L8

Amazon Wishlists

This technique also works for Amazon Wishlists. Simply type “amzn.com/w/” plus the Wishlist ID number, which is usually located at the end of a person’s Wishlist URL. [Read more…] about Marketing Tip: Easy Shortened URLs for Amazon Authors

10 Tips for Selling Books at Book Fairs and Conventions

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The following article by Terry Cordingley contains great information for anyone planning on exhibiting their books.

The 10 Commandments of Selling Books at Book Fairs, Conventions, and Festivals

1. Register for the event as early as possible.

• Contact the event organizer.
• Find out the cost of the booth or registration.
• Register for the event and inform your marketing representative.

2.  Spread the word about your appearance at the event.

  • Online newspapers free event calendar listings
  • Free online listing at Craig’s List http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites.html
  • E-mail invitations to your address book
  • Church bulletin
  • Split the cost of the booth with another author, if festival organizers allow booth-sharing.
  • Decorate the booth with a banner and tabletop posters announcing that the author is available to sign copies of books.  Make the booth as attractive as possible!

3. Establish a family member or friend to help you during the event.

4. Be prepared with conversation starters.

  • Have a one-minute pitch ready to go that tells people who you are and what your book is about.  Practice it so that it seems natural and not forced.
    • “How did you hear about the event?”
    • “Are you an avid reader?”
    • “Do you live in the area?”

5. Have a guest-book on your table for people to sign their name and e-mail address.

  • By doing this at every event, you can create a large mailing list for e-blasts or newsletters about your book.

6. Practice good booth etiquette.

  • If you are sharing a booth, be considerate and polite to your fellow authors.
  • Don’t complain to your fellow authors if the event isn’t going well and you aren’t selling many books.  Attitude is contagious!
  • Work out ahead of time how you will approach customers at the booth so you aren’t overwhelming them and pressuring them to buy books.
  • Be friendly and approachable.
  • Don’t just sit at the booth and wait for people to come to you.  Engage passersby in conversation and offer them any giveaways you may have.  Use the opportunity to tell them about your book.

7. Arrive early, allowing plenty of time to set up for the event.

Items you will need for your booth:

  • Books. You will need to determine how many books you will need to have available for the event.  You can always keep extra copies in your car, if needed.
  • Giveaways. Just like at trade shows, attendees are always looking for free items.  Have a supply of bookmarks, business cards and push cards on hand to help promote your book if people don’t buy a copy on the spot.
  • Décor. Most festivals will give you a table and a chair, and not much else.  Find out if you’ll need table coverings, a tent or awning (if an outdoor event), or a power supply for any video or audio needs you may have.  Also make sure you have pens and posters to advertise who you are and why you are there, preferably with a photo of your book cover on it.  You may even want to have a banner made for your book that you can re-use at future events.  You’re only limited by your imagination.

8. Have book ordering information available in case you run out of books.

  • Business cards and push cards can be used for this purpose.

9. Send a thank-you card to the organizer after the event.

  • If the event was especially successful, send a letter of commendation to the event organizer. They may ask you to be a featured author next year.

10. Book early for next year’s event.

For more information about book marketing and promotion, read Terry’s Cordingley’s self-titled blog at http://terrycordingley.blogspot.com.

 

Originally Published March 24, 2017 on ChristopherMatthewsPub.com. Christopher Matthews Publishing is a division of First Steps Publishing.

7 Must Do Steps to Get Your Book Published

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If you thought writing your book was tough, wait until you try to get published!

The truth is publishers and agents are very risk averse. They get hundreds of submissions, and their first priority is to look for reasons to reject a manuscript .  They have plenty to choose from, so as soon as they can find anything to bounce your ms. off their desk and into the hopper they will reject it.  You may get a form rejection letter from them , or, more likely, you will never hear from them at all.  And, more it may very well have had nothing to do with your writing ability.

It could be as simple as you didn’t use the standard 12 pt. font (either Times New Roman or Courier),  or you didn’t follow their submission guidelines, or they read a couple of pages and you had made first-time author boo-boos.

I can’t guarantee you’ll get published, but having been a publisher, editor and writer myself for over 40 years, I do know some things you absolutely must do if you want to get published, even if you are going to self-publish. Following are 7 steps I feel are critical to get your manuscript’s foot in the door.

1. READ, READ , READ.

This is common and good advice for any writer.  The more you read, especially in your own genre, the more you as a writer will start analyzing and realizing what makes a book work or not. Also, read books on writing. There are a lot of excellent ones available.  The bible for fiction writers is Stephen King’s On Writing. You must read that, but there are many other great books, or even blog articles online that will help you develop the craft of writing.

2. POV.

One of the biggest red flags in a manuscript is point of view handling.  90% of new writers’ work that I see doesn’t properly handle point of view.  You should stick to one character’s point of view per section.  If your main character is John and he is “seeing Jane through his eyes, feeling his heart pounding and a squishy feeling in his stomach”, you can’t say, “And Jane was feeling the same sensations, only with a sense of trepidation…” You have 2 characters’ inner feelings being acknowledged, but you started out in John’s point of view. He can’t describe what Jane is feeling, so neither should you. As soon as someone considering your manuscript sees that you don’t get POV, they will go no further in looking at your material.

3. JOIN A CRITIQUE GROUP.

Either join or start your own critique group with people who will be totally honest and supportive. Ideally, you should have at least one member who has been through the publishing process.  Having your friends or family read your work is not very helpful, since they either don’t know what to look for, or will be hesitant to criticize your work.  The feedback you can get from others who understand writing will be immensely helpful.

4. READ YOUR WORK OUT LOUD.

If you are in a critique group or just by yourself, hearing the words that are on the page rather than just reading them will help you identify a myriad of problems in flow, dialogue and grammatical errors.

5. CAREFULLY EDIT.

The best thing to do is hire a good editor to go over your manuscript before you submit it. A professional editor can quickly find things that you might have missed or even be unaware of. Paying someone to edit your work can be expensive, but even if you only have a professional edit the first three chapters, you will likely get your money’s worth in suggestions that you can use when self-editing the rest of your work.

6. FORMAT YOUR MANUSCRIPT PROPERLY.

There are plenty of instructions online on how to present and format your manuscript, what fonts and margins to use, what the headers and cover page should look like, have you double-spaced, etc. The easiest thing an editor or agent can do is look at your cover page and see if you know what you are doing. If you haven’t followed standard formatting rules, you’re wasting everybody’s time. Into the hopper.

7. BRAND YOURSELF BEFORE YOUR BOOK.

In today’s world, more than ever, promoting one’s book falls primarily on the author, whether you are publishing with one of the big traditional houses or you are self-publishing your book. If you want your book to sell, you need to set the groundwork for that just as the Hollywood studios do before a new movie is released.

Months before it’s out, they start promoting  a  film so viewers will be chomping at the bit to see it by the time it is released. They don’t wait until after the movie is in the theatres.

  • Start branding  yourself today.
  • Start a blog now and join online discussions in groups that might be interested in your genre.
  • Start blogging with some of your writing and interesting comments; writing things that people and search engines might want to look at.I’m not talking about a blog where you say you went shopping today and bought the cutest sweater at Macy’s. I’m talking about posting some of your creative writing, maybe chapters from your work in progress, maybe pertinent observations.

The more people get to know you before your book is published, the more likely you are to get some good sales when you finally launch your book months from now.

If your posts and discussion comments are intriguing, you just might get a publisher interested in you before you even submit your work. Wouldn’t that be nice?

There are, of course, no guarantees or magic formulas for getting published , but you will stand a much better chance of becoming successful if you pay attention to these 7 guidelines.

Good luck, and remember, as author Richard Bach said:

“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.”