I was reviewing a novel the other day and noticed one of the first pages in the book was an apology by the author. She apologized for using real locations in her novel. I know what you’re thinking. Why apologize for that? An apologetic author actually isn’t that uncommon. When reviewing manuscripts submitted for consideration to BookLocker.com, I have seen public apologies from authors in books for a variety of reasons, like:
-Apologizing to readers for all the typos and other errors (yes, we must reject those manuscripts)
-Apologizing to real people who have been included in the book without permission (legal liability!)
-Apologizing to parents for the children’s book containing possible factual errors (yes, we’ve seen that one more than once!)
-Probably the funniest one I saw was an author publishing a sarcastic apology to his ex-wife for destroying her reputation with his book (yes, we rejected that one, too).
With regards to the author who used real locations in a novel, I told her a statement like this would be much better to use in her book:
“While the fictional events in this novel take place in actual locations, the author has taken creative liberty with many details to enhance the reader’s experience.”
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Angela Hoy is the co-owner of WritersWeekly.com and BookLocker.com. WritersWeekly.com is the free marketing ezine for writers, which features new paying markets and freelance job listings every Wednesday. According to attorney Mark Levine, author of The Fine Print, BookLocker.com is: “As close to perfection as you’re going to find in the world of ebook and POD publishing. The ebook royalties are the highest I’ve ever seen, and the print royalties are better than average. BookLocker understands what new authors experience, and have put together a package that is the best in the business. You can’t go wrong here. Plus, they’re selective and won’t publish any manuscript just because it’s accompanied by a check. Also, the web site is well trafficked. If you can find a POD or epublisher with as much integrity and dedication to selling authors’ books, but with lower POD publishing fees, please let me know.”
PRINT ON DEMAND PRICE COMPARISON
>>> BookLocker: $517 (Deduct $200 if submitting your own cover) <<
Rated “Outstanding” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
**(If you want to bypass the formal submission process, you can email your manuscript to Angela directly for consideration at angela -at- booklocker.com).
>> Trafford: $624.00 <<
Rated “Publisher to Avoid” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
>> CreateSpace: $978.00 (Deduct $299 if submitting your own cover) <<
Rated “Just OK” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
>> Lulu: $1248.00 (Deduct $450 if submitting your own cover) <<
Rated “Pretty Good” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
>> iUniverse: $1299.00 (includes 5 “free” copies) <<
Rated “Publisher to Avoid” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
>> AuthorHouse: $1593.00 <<
Rated “Publisher to Avoid” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
>> Xlibris: $1972.00 – (includes 5 “free” copies) <<
Rated “Publisher to Avoid” by Mark Levine, attorney and author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing.
***Prices above based on least expensive package offered by each publisher on similar offers targeting U.S. authors. Fees include interior formatting (based on a 200-page book), original cover design with up to 5 images, print proof, ebook creation, up to 25 interior photos/graphics, an ISBN, barcode, a listing on the publisher’s website and distribution by Ingram, all within 6 weeks.
MORE DETAILS HERE.