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Fairfield, Queensland, Australia
Fairfield Writers Group is a mix of beginner and experienced writers who meet the second and fourth Saturdays of the month at the Brisbane City Council Library in Fairfield Gardens Shopping Centre, Fairfield road, Fairfield, Queensland. Our passion is writing and we work hard at our craft. Our aim is to encourage, support and help each other to reach new heights in our writing. New members are always made welcome and usually whisked off to the local coffee shop at the end of meetings for sustenance and socialisation with the rest of the crew.

Welcome to Fairfield Writers Group

We hope you will stop for a while and browse our site and if you like what you see, please visit us again soon.

Monday, May 31, 2010

We are seeking quality manuscripts

Hello writers,

If anyone is looking for a publisher please read the following information.
PLEASE NOTE:
Lorraine has kindly written some information about the implications of some advertisements and offers.

Enjoy
Anna:)


We are seeking quality manuscripts

Are writers in your group looking for a publisher?
If they are, would you please pass this information on to them:


If your manuscript has been polished and you believe it is ready for publication, why not send it into our submissions department for assessment.

We need a letter of inquiry, synopsis and three sample chapters from you to be able to ascertain if the manuscript is worthy of publication. Whether your book is accepted or not, we will always let you know. Sometimes changes may be suggested to help your manuscript have a chance of finding a market.
Zeus Publications have been in the publishing industry in Australia for over 13 years and we know how the industry works. We have a professional team of submissions editors, book editors, graphic artist and marketing publicists who can help you along the way. Most are writers themselves so they understand the writing process.
For information on manuscript guidelines and submission details go to:
http://www.zeus-publications.com/new.htm
Seeing you hold your book in your hands is our greatest joy!


WHAT KIND OF PUBLISHER ARE YOU TALKING TO?
(A WORD OF CAUTION TO WRITERS SEEKING PUBLISHING DEALS)

by Lorraine Cobcroft

Once upon a time, most published works were printed and marketed by commercial publishers at their cost/risk and the writers were paid royalties on sales.

Is that what you believed? Actually, if you check history carefully, many of the most famous authors of past generations paid for 'vanity press' publication of their early works, and marketed themselves. But it's true that commercial publishers traditionally did take on the cost and risk of printing and marketing many books. They still do today, though to a lesser extent.

The world of publishing is changing fast, and publishers are becoming increasingly reluctant to accept risk, particularly in relation to works from unknown authors. The chances of any unknown writer securing a 'traditional' publishing deal are diminishing rapidly. But writers might receive offers of publication or requests for manuscripts from two types of publisher, and it's important to understand their offering correctly.

1. Vanity publishers: These are publishers YOU pay to print your book. Some help market it to a limited extent. Others only print it. You pay for their services. They take no risk and invest nothing in you.

This group loosely includes the multitude of POD (Print on Demand) publishers who are now springing up everywhere. POD publishing is typically lower cost and lower risk than other vanity publishing, because you can order books as you need them. The per copy print cost is higher, but you don't pay for thousands of books that you might be unable to sell or take many years to sell. They offer a great service for writers, but choose carefully because the quality of their work and their prices vary radically. (Love of Books, Moorooka, is one I highly recommend!)

2. Subsidy Publishers (e.g. Zeus Publications): These publishers SHARE the cost and risk of printing and marketing your book with you. The amount they contribute varies from almost nothing to a considerable portion, depending on the publisher. Depending on the ethics of the management, their offer may be honest and disclose all relevant facts, or may be very deceiving. Many authors are so flattered by an offer that they fail to critically examine the terms and check out the publisher's background and references.

NEVER accept an offer from a Subsidy publisher without expert advice on the contract and verifying their credentials carefully. You can carry out extensive background checks on the Internet quite easily. (Try typing in the name of the publisher followed by words like 'con' or 'sucks' or 'deception'. If they have 'burned' other writers, you'll find the horror stories. Remember, we are talking about WRITERS here! Most will be quick to write about their bad experience!)

Some subsidy publishers offer a brillliant service and they might well give you your first big break. But caution is essential.
Beware, particularly, of publishers who keep changing their name, and/or those with very persistent and aggressive marketing tactics. (There are lots of writers seeking publication. If you are being hounded with an offer, treat it with suspicion!). Some of those I've had offers from and suggest writers should be particularly careful of are Dorrance Publishing, Publish America, and Childrens Literary Agency (a division of Writers Literary Agency).

Type 'beware of vanity/subsidy publishers' into Google's search field when you have lots of time to read about other writers' reports and cautions. I guarantee you will be shocked!

Are there 'good guys' out there in publisher/agent land? Absolutely! (I recommend Wombat Books for Australian Christian writers. They are struggling to get wide market acceptance, but are beyond reproach in their honesty and ethics and will work hard for you.)

Should unpublished writers give up hope of being published? Definitely not!

Persistence pays off. Some of us will get lucky and some will reap the just rewards of hard work and patience. But in the meantime, PLEASE TAKE EXTREME CARE when evaluating offers from POD publishers, electronic publishers, vanity publishers and subsidy publishers. Check them out thoroughly and read the fine print. Demand protective clauses in contracts that limit your risk. Investigate their background thoroughly, by finding people who have worked with them (NOT people they refer - they will be primed to tell you only the good news!).

Note: The writer has had NO experience with Zeus Publications and makes no comment as to their specific business model, integrity or ethics or the merits of any offer they may make. If your manuscript is accepted by them, I would be happy to help you with background research and critical examination of the terms of offer.




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