Many writers dream that their novel or book will attract a traditional publisher who will pay them a five-figure advance and handle all their marketing and promotion for their “baby.” I am one of those writers. However, in the last decade, the publishing industry has changed drastically. Traditional publishers are not looking for the “new” writer. They know the market is tough so they go for the sure thing: the in-front-of-the-camera celebrity. Even the people who bring movies and TV to life with their writing talent rarely find a place in a traditional publisher’s catalog.
This is where HO Press-Shorehouse Books comes in. I never started out to be a publisher, but with the success of HumorOutcasts.com, the humor and comedy site, writers asked me to help them publish their work. At the beginning, I just did it for anyone, but as the press grew, I knew I had to be more selective and pick authors who would fit in with our model. What kind of author fits the model?The author who works as hard as I do to market and promote his/her book. Being an author today is beyond challenging, but if you are like most writers, this is a dream that boils in your blood and won’t stop until you make it happen.
When I meet writers or potential authors, I give them the realistic, non-pie-in-the-sky lecture at
Our Bodies, Our Shelves by Roz Warren
what it means today to be an author. Most authors when they sign on with HOPress-Shorehouse Books are well aware of the challenges, but no one expressed it as well as Roz Warren, author of Our Bodies Our Shelves: A Collection of Library Humor. I love working with Roz. She is smart, funny and such a gifted writer. She also understands the credo of today’s author which is PATIENCE. Please read this piece from Roz on the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roz-warren/should-you-publish-your-b_b_7770286.html