I’m as uncomfortable with changing an author’s words as I am with the word nigger – a word that is weighted down with such a powerful emotional charge that it is offensive to everyone but especially to me as I have felt its sting.

I was equally offended when the word was in ubiquitous use in rap songs.

So I understand the desire to find a more palatable word. But as offensive as it is, should we change an author’s words? Do we have that right?

While the intent might be noble, rather than removing the word, NewSouth Books, the publisher, and the professor, Alan Gribben who teaches English at Auburn University in Alabama, should use this as a “teachable moment” to help students understand the times in which the word was used and why it is still so offensive today. And what better place to do that than in a classroom?

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I know it won’t be easy, but it might be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful. Therefore I’m promising to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers with similar goals, to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can.

If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way.

Signed,

Marcia

Below is a partial list that I’ll keep adding to in other posts.

Akashic Books Johnny Temple, publisher 232 Third St., Suite B404, Brooklyn, NY 11215 718- 643-9193 info@akashicbooks.com Akashic is a Brooklyn-based independent company dedicated to publishing urban literary fiction and political nonfiction by authors who are either ignored by the mainstream, or who have no interest in working within the ever-consolidating ranks of the major corporate publishers.

Allworth Press, Founded in 1989 by Tad Crawford, Publisher, 10 East 23rd Street #210, New York NY 10010; 212-777-8395; 800-491-2808; Fax: 212-777-8261 Email: pub@allworth.  Allworth publishes business and self-help books for artists, photographers, graphic designers, and interior designers as well as for filmmakers, performing artists, and authors. They also publish legal and personal finance guides for the general public.

Bridge Works, Warren Phillips, Publisher; Barbara Phillips, Editorial Director, P O Box 1798, Bridgehampton NY 11932; 516-537-3418; Fax: 516-537-5092. Since its founding in 1992 Bridge Works has become known for discovering and launching the careers of talented new authors. Specialties: fiction.

Just Us Books, Wade Hudson, President; Cheryl Hudson, Editor; 356 Glenwood Avenue, East Orange NJ 07017; 973-672-7701. Email: justusbooks@aol.com. Just Us Books, Inc. is an independent publisher of books for young people that focus on Black history, Black culture and Black experiences. Founded by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson in 1988, this innovative company is now considered one of the leading publishers of Black interest titles for children and young adults.

Kidsbooks Inc, Vic Cavallaro, Publisher, 230 Fifth Avenue #1710, New York NY 10001; 800-890-7137; Fax: 800-890-7138. Founded in 1987, this company is now a $10 million per year business. Specialties: Children’s books, pop-up books, lift-a-flap books, and SoftPlay interactive soft cloth books.

Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street, New York, New York, 10018 – independent publisher of hardcover, trade and mass market paperback books. Has been in business for 35 years. 1-800-221-2647 www.kensingtonbooks.com

Lee & Low Books 95 Madison Ave, Suite # 1205, New York, NY 10016 212-779-4400 Email: general@leeandlow.com  A family-owned company, Lee & Low is an independent children’s book publisher that focuses on diversity. It is the company’s mission to meet the need for stories that all children can identify with and enjoy.

New Directions, 80 Eighth Avenue, New York NY 10011. Email: editorial@ndbooks.com  Almost a non-profit publisher, this company was one of the first small independent publishers (founded in 1936). It is still a strong literary publisher with specialties in poetry as well as avant-garde fiction and nonfiction.

Newmarket Press, Esther Margolis, Publisher, 18 East 48th Street #1501, New York NY 10017; 212-832-3575; 800-669-3903; Fax: 212-832-3629. Email: newmktprs@aol.com. Newmarket Publishing and Communications Company, and its publishing arm Newmarket Press, was founded in 1981 by President and Publisher, Esther Margolis. Now in its 27th year with more than 300 books published, Newmarket Press is one of the few mainstream, trade publishing houses in New York City under independent, entrepreneurial ownership. Specialties: movie tie-ins, performing arts, parenting, personal finance, cooking, self-help, general.

The Permanent Press, Martin Shepard, Publisher, Noyac Road, Sag Harbor NY 11963; 516-725-1101; Fax: 516-725-1101; 631-725-1101. Email: info@thepermanentpress.com Begun in 1978 by Martin and Judith Shepard, The Permanent Press committed itself to publishing works of social and literary merit and has, over the years, gained a reputation as one of the finest independent presses in America.
The vast majority of our books are new, and these are published under The Permanent Press imprint. Our sister imprint, Second Chance Press, reprints books of merit that had been out-of-print, for at least 20 years.

Sterling Publishing, 387 Park Avenue South,
New York, NY 10016 212-532-7160 Email: custservice@sterlingpublishing.com  Founded in 1949, Sterling Publishing is one of the world’s leading publishers of non-fiction books. Sterling has the reach of the major publishers yet the passion and creativity of an independent press.

Square One Books, Rudy Shur, Publisher, 115 Herricks Road, Garden City Park, NY 11040; 516-535-2010; Fax: 516-535-2014. Email: sq1info@aol.com. Square One Publishers, Inc. is a dynamic Long Island-based company designed to produce, market, and sell quality books to specialized high-growth markets. Square One’s titles sell to the bookstore trade as well as to a wide variety of nontraditional outlets. Books on writing, alternative health, cooking, how to, parenting and more.

Self Publishing, Inc. 51 East 42nd Street, Suite 1202
New York, NY 10017
p: 800-621-2556 Self Publishing, Inc. is a book publishing service for the independent self publisher.

Avon Books (A Divison of HarperCollins Publishers) 10 E. 53rd Street, New York, 10022, 212-207-7759

Ballantine/Fawcett/Ivy Books A Division of Random House, Inc., 1540 Broadway, 11th floor, New York, NY 10036

Berkley Books A Division of Penguin Putnam, Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, 212-366-2000

The Bantam Dell Publishing Group A Division of Random House, Inc., 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036

Hachette Book Group, formerly Time Warner Book Group, 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017, 212-364-1200

Harlequin Books Harlequin Enterprises LTD 300 E. 42nd Street, 6th floor, New York, NY 10017, 212-682-4539

Harlequin Enterprises Ltd 300 E 42^nd Street, 6^th Floor, New York, NY 10017, 212-682-6080

HarperCollins Publishers A Subsidiary of News Corporation 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, 212-207-7000

Penguin Putnam, Inc. Berkley Books, Dutton, Grosset & Dunlap, NAL, Penguin, Philomel, Topaz 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014, 212-632-8084

Pocket Books A Division of Simon & Schuster 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, 212-632-8084

Random House A Division of Bertelsmann AG 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, 212-782-9000

Simon & Schuster 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, 212-698-7000

St. Martin’s Press A Division of Holtzbrinck Group 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010

William Morrow A Division of HarperCollins Publishers 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022, 212-207-7000

Know a publisher that’s not on the list? Let me know.

I snapped these photos with my trusty little digital camera. Enjoy!

I must admit, I prefer seeing the balloons up close than on television.

These are just a few of the balloons that lined the block.

There’s something so playful about them, I was tempted to get closer.

But Thanksgiving is definitely more than balloons or the parade or even the food. It is a time to recognize all the blessings that have been bestowed on us.

I’m thankful for many things but most of all, I’m thankful that through this medium, I can share with you my passion and enthusiasm for books.

Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

While traditional publishing has its share of obstacles, many authors believe it provides a stamp of approval to their work. Here’s how to determine if traditional publishing is the right vehicle for you:

You just want to write: Let’s face it, for some authors, DIY ends at finishing their manuscript. If you are one of those authors, don’t even think about self-publishing.

You believe your work will be taken more seriously if it is published by a traditional publisher: The reality is that self-publishing still has a bad reputation. Many authors who self-publish realize its limitations very quickly and wish they had found a traditional publisher.

You want to give your book the possibility of being reviewed by a major press: Unfortunately, at this time, many newspapers, like the New York

Times, several smaller ones and even some blogs won’t even consider reviewing a book that is self-published.

You want to have your book available in your local library or bookstore: Many bookstores and several libraries won’t touch self-published books. Some bookstores cite pricing – many self-published books are priced too high for them to make a profit or cannot be returned to the publisher if they are unsold.

Self-publishing sounds like work: If finding an editor, thinking about layout, book cover design, or book distribution don’t make you feel warm and fuzzy, look for a traditional publisher.

You don’t have the time: Self-publishing required an investment in time, and a lot of attention to detail. If you have neither, find a traditional publisher.

You don’t want to make the financial commitment: If you don’t want to spend the money to get your work published, find a traditional publisher.

If the above describe you, investigate your options. In addition to the large publishers, many of whose names are well known, there are a number of independent and small presses that can be considered.

What were your reasons for going the traditional publishing route?

• Email Signature: One of the simplest things you can do to spread the word about your book – whether it’s published or forthcoming — is to include the title, website and where its available for purchase in your email signature. Each time you send an email or reply to one, you are telling the recipient about your book.
• Take it with you: It goes without saying – have a copy of your book with you at all times or if your book is not yet published, create flyers with the following information about your forthcoming book – title, synopsis, email address, blog or website.
• Start a blog: A blog is one of the best ways to create a community of supporters – something that first-time authors, especially, need.

• Write: Write articles on your topic, submit them to article marketing sites like Ezinearticles.com, ArticleBiz.com, etc., and opinion pieces for your local paper. These will go a long way to establish you as an expert in your subject.
• Review: Review other author’s books. Another good way to get your name out and also create links to other authors.

• Talk: Talk about your topic, if appropriate, to school, church, social, professional and community groups.
• Giveaways: Offer a few copies of your book as prizes to your local radio station, church or community or social organization.

What are some effective tools you’ve used to publicize your book?

But should you self-publish?

Before you decide, here a few things to consider:

1. You have a deadline: Say you’ve written a story and you have a firm deadline, like an anniversary. Unless you begin way in advance, the schedule of a traditional publisher will probably not lend itself to you getting your book out in time for this deadline. But if you go the self-published route, you could. In addition, unless it’s a story that could have universal appeal, most traditional publishers won’t touch it.
2. You have a diamond in the rough: Sometimes a traditional publisher might not see the value in publishing your story, like in the case I mentioned above.
3. You want to get paid: You don’t mind paying the publishing costs because you want to keep all of what you make from book sales.
4. You want ‘Soup to Nuts’ control: If you are the kind of person who likes to have creative control over the process of producing your book, then self-publishing should be right up your alley. It’s the ‘Soup to Nuts’ approach. You write the book, you decide the format, design, layout, even select the type of font you want (or you can work with someone to do this). You also get to set the price and decide whether you want to print 100 books at a time or 500!
5. You have published before: If you have published before, you have an audience and name recognition, it’ll be much easier getting those people to buy your next book because they already know you.

If the above describes you, then self-publishing is a good option for you to consider. What do you think?

Here to address this issue is Abby Plesser, fiction editor at Bookpage. I started out by asking what a book review is and why it’s important.

Here’s Abby:

Book reviews vary widely—both in scope and content—so I’ll speak to the reviews we run at BookPage. We aim to be a selection guide for readers, so we read and review books that have received our stamp of approval. That means we only run positive reviews—something that sets us apart from other review publications. Of course not every review is a rave, but if we cover a book in BookPage, we feel it deserves our readers’ attention.

In the simplest sense, book reviews are necessary because there are millions of books out there, and readers need guidance in deciding what they want to read. Advertising, recommendations from friends and word-of-mouth buzz can all inform readers about what they might like to try, but a good review—or an informative negative review—can really help a reader make his or her decision on whether to pick up a book.

How critical are early reviews? Why does Bookpage only do early reviews?

It varies from book to book. Personally, I find early reviews helpful because they get the dialogue going. Before a book goes on sale, you really don’t know whether it’s going to be something that might interest you. Maybe it’s a first time author, so you have no idea what to expect, but the topic sounds interesting. Or it’s a new book from an author you love, but you aren’t sure if you’re going to love the new book as much as the last book. Having a review come out before the book does—or very close to publication—can be very helpful as you make your book-buying decisions. Of course there are always books that either don’t get a ton of early review coverage—or get mixed early reviews—and go on to be big hits. And vice versa.

BookPage is a monthly publication, so we aim to review the best books in each genre each month. From a production standpoint, we work two to three months ahead of publication dates, but when our issues hit the stands, books that are included are either on sale or going on sale very shortly.

Do some reviews carry more weight than others?

At a basic level, reviews are all about exposure. And in the sense of exposure—getting the word out about a certain book to the largest number of people—reviews in the national publications carry a lot of weight. So obviously authors (and their publishers) are hoping to get positive reviews in the big national papers—the New York Times, the New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, USA Today—and magazines—Time, People, The New Yorker, Newsweek, etc. But it also depends on the individual reader. When you read a review, you are trusting the reviewer—and the newspaper or magazine—and their opinion. So it’s a personal thing. I have certain papers and magazines that I like more than others, so I would probably buy a book based on their recommendation more than I would a recommendation from a source I don’t read or love.

The same thing goes with book reviews online—as an author, you want to be reviewed positively on a site that gets a lot of traffic, but you probably also want to be reviewed on a site that you read and respect—or hope your target audience reads and respects.

Tell us about the Bookpage process, e.g., What kinds of books do you review? Do you charge? Do you accept review requests directly from authors?

We cover almost every category of books, from serious nonfiction and literary novels to suspense and romance. So we do our best each month to select the best books in every genre.

I handle fiction, so I sort through the hundreds of novels we get every month and evaluate them based on quality, likely appeal to a wide reading audience and availability through national distributors (BookPage is distributed to approximately 400,000 readers each month, and the majority of readers pick it up for free at their local library or bookstore, so we want to make sure the books we review will be readily available to them).

Our nonfiction editor goes through the same process with all of the nonfiction, and we have a children’s editor and a web editor, as well. We have a monthly editorial meeting where we sit and discuss all of the books we are considering, and then we make our decisions individually. We assign most books to freelancers for review, though we all do some writing, too. We pay our freelancers, but we don’t charge for reviews—or accept payment. And while we are happy to hear from authors directly, we have to make sure their book can pass our guidelines on its own.

What advice would you give to authors, publicists and publishers about getting their books reviewed?

I think the most important thing is to do your homework. Every review has different guidelines, and while it can be daunting, a publicist (or publisher/author) who follows review guidelines is already one step ahead of the game.

At BookPage, we ask for advance review copies (ARCs) 2-3 months ahead of publication. We like a letter from the publicist telling us what we need to know about the book: genre, on sale date, print run (if known), brief summary, etc. And we don’t review self-published titles or titles with very low distribution numbers, even though we are always flooded with requests. If you submit your materials in a timely manner, and maybe send a thoughtful email or two to follow up as publication nears, that’s perfect for us.

It’s also worth noting that no book can be reviewed everywhere, so it’s important to focus on the best places for your book to be reviewed. If you think your target audience is library patrons, then BookPage is a great place for you to be reviewed. If you are pitching a super literary novel, you probably don’t want to start with People magazine. Just use common sense. And it never hurts to get familiar with the book review sections of the big newspapers and magazines, along with the big pre-publication review sources (Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, etc.) and popular book blogs.

Good luck!

Abby Plesser, Fiction Editor, BookPage

http://www.bookpage.com/

Smiling because authors who write in English, and now French and German, can upload PDF, text, Word or HTML versions of their work, set the own prices and get 35% of sales.

Nervous because as a publishing professional who works with many self-published authors, I know that the quality of self-published works is spotty, at best.

(That said, I’m wondering if Amazon will, in future, establish any minimum requirements for writers who want to publish via their platform, offer editorial services, weed out bad writers, etc.)

But before you run out and upload your latest manuscript, there are a few things first time authors need to consider.

Working style/Personality: If you are the kind of author who loves only to write and cares little about the business aspects of publishing, this news might not affect you.

Pricing: How will you price your work? For first time authors with little or no name recognition, pricing at the lower end of the spectrum, say around $2 seems to work best. But bear in mind your upfront costs, e.g. cover design, editing, proofreading, etc. How many ebooks will you have to sell to break even? Make a profit? How many titles do you have to publish to make, say $100/month?

Marketing/Publicity: How will you find your audience? Just as you would with a bound edition, you have to get the word out about your ebook. Do you have a website or blog, Facebook or Twitter accounts? Will your ebook supplement a print edition or is it a standalone?

Research: Do your homework. How are works similar in genre to yours priced? How well do these authors do?

It is a brave new world we are charting in publishing. No one knows for sure how ebooks will affect print publishing or what the business will look like a year from now. I am excited by all the options available to authors and encourage them to take advantage of the ones that fit their needs and working style.

Share your comments below about publishing your ebook via Kindle or the future of publishing.

True, she does also recommend books via her magazine but getting into the magazine doesn’t seem to have the same clout and cachet as being selected for the book club. Maybe one of her final acts could be to introduce some up and coming authors or some young adults who are writing – something different than what she’s done before?

As a book lover, I don’t need Oprah to tell me what to read. In fact, I’d already read several of the books she’d selected before she put the spotlight on them, like Edwidge Danticat’s, Breath, Eyes, Memory or Garcia Marquez’s, One Hundred Years of Solitude, which I even attempted to read in the original Spanish!

As a book publicist, I’m always meeting authors who’d give their first born to get their books picked, which is what prompted me to write my last post, Managing Expectations, Part I: Getting on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

So while some industry people have described this as “a blow” to publishing, I’m betting that Ms. Winfrey isn’t done with publishing yet. As a self-professed book lover, whatever the format of the new show, on her OWN network, Ms. Winfrey will find a room for books.

Anyway, I wondered what the people closer to ‘home’ had to say about this news and was surprised at the number of them who admitted that they don’t watch the show. But maybe it’s the company I keep? I catch Oprah only a few times a year, I just don’t have the time for much television.

So, here’s a sample of some of the responses:

Carolyn Butts, publisher, African Voices

I think it will be devastating since Oprah has made it one of her missions to support literature and the Oprah Book List has helped create bestsellers. Her support of Push and producing the film “Precious” is a prime example. I hope she continues OBL in “O” magazine and her other broadcast enterprises. It is a huge loss for the African-American community to see Oprah, a media force, leave her post after 25 years. There is no other prominent and trusted household name in television right now that has a talk show and the versatility to provide a platform for politics, the arts and spirituality related topics. – Carolyn Butts, www.africanvoices.com

Nalo Hopkinson, author of several novels, including The New Moon’s Arms

I’m afraid I don’t have a clue. I haven’t had a television in decades and have never seen one of her shows in its entirety. Too, she’s never promoted science fiction, so she hasn’t been a big blip on my radar as far as being a novelist goes. Nalo Hopkinson, http://nalohopkinson.com/blogmain

Christopher J. Farley, author of several books, including Before the Legend: The Rise of Bob Marley and editor at TheWall Street Journal

It’s not good for books. She was a friend and supporter of literature. Whether she picked your book or not, her public embrace of reading and authors sent a signal: books matter. One can only hope that she continues to support literature in her new venture, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. – Christopher J. Farley

Carol Taylor, author of the Brown Sugar books and the forthcoming novel, The Ex Chronicles

How like Oprah to give us two years to get ready for the end of her show and the beginning of her media empire… Part Deux? I love that woman. I mean what’s not to love? I certainly can’t imagine the last 25 years without her. Can you?

All the hits from Harpo, oh the brilliance of that one, my name spelled backwards is Lorac; oh wait, it’s taken. But I digress. Those bright shining moments in TV history with our self-help guru, motivational survivor, queen: The weight loss, the weight gain, Steadman and the never-ending engagement. Or the lesbian rumors, the road trips, the book club’s million little fictional memoirs, the couch jumping, the tear-jerking, the Girl’s School and the Girl’s School scandal, and the philanthropy. I can remember every cinched at the waist outfit (especially the leather one) and every hairdo, even the weaves, especially the weaves! And of course the show on weaves! And last but not least, her quest for world media domination. I most certainly don’t want to even consider the next 25 years without Oprah: The weight gain and the weight loss, (and of course the weight gain), the weaves, the tear-jerking, the philanthropy, the lesbian rumors, the road trips to LA, (and this is just in her private life) and the actualization of her own, literally, cable network called the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). God I love it!

But wait…

“In 1997, Oprah said she was planning to retire, but then renewed her contract through 2002. In 2002, she said she would depart in 2006 – the show’s 20th anniversary year – but in 2004 she ended up re-upping through 2011, after riding a wave of high ratings and a revamped program in 2003. If Winfrey does end up shutting down Oprah, it could be painful for TV stations – particularly ABC’s owned stations, which make up the show’s core station group – that use the show to lead in to local news programs. On the other hand, Oprah’s ratings have been declining – this year they are down 14% — while the show’s license fees remain high, an expensive combination for stations.

While Discovery Chief David Zaslav said Friday morning that CBS Television Distribution’s The Oprah Winfrey Show will depart broadcast syndication in fall 2011, Harpo isn’t so sure. Zaslav told analysts: ‘The current expectation is that after fall 2011 her show will go off of … syndication, and she will come to OWN,’ the cable network that Winfrey’s production company, Harpo, is creating in conjunction with Discovery.

Viewers, on the other hand, might not notice Winfrey’s departure. Last January, Harpo and Discovery announced that OWN will take the place of Discovery Health on cable. That immediately wins it carriage on 70 million-plus homes. Exactly what Winfrey’s on-air presence will be on the network has not been clarified, but the talk-show queen and her strong eponymous brand are sure to be ever present. ‘In addition to providing her talent, and personal commitment, Winfrey will have full editorial control over the joint venture and will be responsible for OWN’s programming, branding and creative vision,’ Harpo and Discovery said in a press release at the time of OWN’s announcement. OWN launches next year. Winfrey also hosts a program on XM Satellite Radio called Oprah & Friends, and appears monthly on the cover of her popular magazine, O.” — By Paige Albiniak — Broadcasting & Cable, 11/7/2008

So maybe, Oprah’s not leaving… Oh, who cares? Because we’re all talking about Oprah; as if we ever stopped. What with the plays, movies, BFFs Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels, director of (Oscar-buzz worthy) Precious. We’ve got another 2 years to talk about it. Oprah too. I mean, honestly, no matter if she stays or goes, you’d better get ready for the ascension of Oprah’s cultural idolization with the actualization of her media juggernaut… Part Trois? Whatever it is, I’m all in. Like I said, I love that woman, (and I don’t even watch her show) she’d better not be going anywhere. – Carol Taylor, http://www.brownsugarbooks.com/

What do you think? Please leave your comments below.