Local Authors and the Editing Journey
I hope one can imagine all of the bits and pieces that go into running a business, but sometimes I think it is hard to know, exactly. My hope today is to share with everyone some of the processes that take place with clients, but also some of the ones that occur behind the scenes. We really love our local authors. This past week I wrote checks that totaled $3,751.00 to our local authors for books on consignment. What does putting a book on consignment look like? We have paperwork and emails that we send to authors that have reached out to us. We request a complimentary review copy. We ask a few questions, like what your book is about, and where you live. We will admit to being a smaller shop, with small sales-floor space that we have to carefully curate. So, for us, the most important thing is making sure that our readership will be interested in the particular subject matter of the books we accept, and that these books will be impactful to the readers in our area. We want to give shelf space to our local authors first, over out-of-town authors. Once all of those items are discussed, we usually take in a few copies. We pay for copies sold quarterly, and the split is 40/60…That is 60% going to the author and 40% staying with us in the shop. Some wonder if we say no to books, and the simplest answer is yes, we say no. I do not have a hard time saying no to a book that I do not think will sell well here, that our community will not connect with. I also say no because of poorly written and/or edited books. Life is simply too short and our readers expect us to carry quality. It is hard to say no—however, it is business. I also will advise and talk with the author if they are open to it. I hope this clears up a few questions you might have.
Our newest business endeavor pairs a bit with author consignment. We felt as a team that, with our expertise, love, and passion for books and our community, an editing and coaching company seemed like a natural fit. We had made a strong relationship with one of our store authors and she had been doing some editing on the side privately. One of my traits as a shop owner is my strength in finding and seeing strengths in others. I saw what an excellent communicator Kathleen is, and how her creativity just pours out of her. She has a gentleness about her, and she really listens when someone is speaking or sharing with her. So I approached her about being a coach for our writing company, and she was elated. She is the person that will help you get words on the page; she will give prompts, check-ins and follow-ups. Amberly has a degree in Creative Writing and a Certificate in Professional Editing. She is a writer herself, and has taken many classes and workshops locally. She is wildly creative, thoughtful, and she reads sophisticated books. Her brain works strongly with the rules of writing, and she is not afraid to consult Dreyer’s for advice. She has done our store's social media for about a year, and our store’s monthly newsletter for six years now. Her responsibility, when needed, is to read over manuscripts and author works to look for continuity, errors, and grammatical edits. I have been reading since I can remember. I have had OCD since I was young, and it has ranged from slightly disruptive to functional. This is one of the many traits that allows me to really focus on a piece of work and pay close attention to details that may have been missed. I am a very LITERAL person, and I read that way. I follow the journey for the pure joy of it, never trying to solve the mystery or storyline ahead of time. I simply want a good tale from start to finish.
If someone is interested in our services, they only have to reach out to us. We will schedule a little meet-and-greet to discuss the client’s goals, desires, and writing habits. From there we will discuss how we think we could help and be a benefit to them and their process. We discuss levels of service and options, and focus on the goal planning and realistic expectations from all sides. Then there is some contract information, and then the fun begins. We are so excited about this, and we hope this answers some questions.