How to Choose a Publisher by Ruth Silver, Author of Forget Me Knot

Are you a writer? If so, Ruth Silver, author of the Royal Reaper series, has some great advice about finding a publisher.

How to Choose a Publisher

by Ruth Silver

If you’re writing and preparing to publish your first novel, you may start researching publishers. How do you know which ones are reputable? There are websites like Authors Beware that will give up to date information on complaints from authors. For example is a publisher isn’t paying royalties or acting in some illegal or unethical manner. Always research the publisher before signing a contract. It’s best to do some research before even wasting your time submitting a manuscript to them.

What else can you do?

If you want to know how their sales are, take a look on Amazon. Search the publisher and their titles. What are they charging for their novels? Is it a reasonable price? If they’re too low, the authors aren’t likely to make any money. Too high and they’re not likely to get as many sales. There’s a sweet spot, at this point it’s between $2.99 - $4.99. With the Amazon market constantly changing and the eBook market always fresh with new novels, this could and likely will change. Look at the sales stats. Do the publisher’s books have a lot of sales? Or are they only selling books when it’s on a promotion (ie – Bookbub?).

Another point to consider is how the publisher chooses to market its authors. Do they invest in conferences for their authors? Does the publisher attend tradeshows or conventions to sell books? Even if a publisher is strictly an eBook publisher or touting themselves as one, they still need to be visible in the market.

If you have a few publishers in mind, ask an author that publishes with them if they’re happy with the marketing that the publisher does. Ask the author if they will be publishing with that same publisher in the future. If they’re not, ask them if they can disclose why.

As an author, you should never have to pay to have your book published. Decent publishers will be able to pay you an advance on your novel, even if it’s minimal, at least it proves they’re willing to invest in you and your writing. You don’t want to be with a publisher that will publish anything and everything without reading through a manuscript.

Also consider the editing process. How much say do you get? Do you want more of an input or would you prefer to let them edit and you just see the final copy before it gets released? If you want total input and are a control freak, it’s not a bad thing but consider self-publishing where you don’t have to relinquish any control. Some editors won’t do more than correct punctuation and grammar. Others may help further shape the novel if it’s not ready for publication. It depends on the publisher and their process. Be choosy.

Forget Me Knot

Royal Reaper 2

Ruth Silver

Publisher: Booktrope

Published: June 23, 2015

Don’t mess with death.

When Wynter explores his newly developed dark angel powers, regret soon fills his heart and mind. Saving a soul isn’t what he imagined it to be, and it puts the grim reaper he loves in grave danger. Obligated to take the throne as Queen, Mara must face the truth and unravel secrets she may not be ready to accept. The second book in the Royal Reaper saga takes you on a paranormal fantasy adventure into a world of grim reapers, dark angels, and undead trucidators.

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Excerpt

Death crept into the castle. Mara could feel its darkness pressing her down. As she walked to her father's bedchamber, the thought of marrying a man she did not love weighed heavily on her. All the invitations had been sent out months ago. Just as her life was beginning to almost feel normal, her father, King Philip, had fallen ill along with the court of Casmerelda and much of the kingdom. The second wave of the plague violently spread, leaving a trail of death and burning corpses for the living to clean up.

Her father had been bedridden for three days. His fever spiked and his skin glistened. He grew delirious, falling in and out of consciousness. As much as she despised him for what he’d done to her sister’s boyfriend, he was still her father. She didn’t want to be left alone.

“You must marry Astin at once.”

Mara cringed. “I can’t.” Her lips hidden as she wore a piece of ivory cloth against her nose and mouth, the slightest bit of protection from the disease that had taken over the kingdom. 

“I don’t love him. Please don’t do this to me.”

“Don’t be selfish.” The words struggled to reach his lips. He coughed and heaved, his chest rising and falling quickly as his pulse raced. “I’ll be with your mother soon…”

“You’ll be dead.”

Taking in several deep breaths, he opened his mouth, his words coming out as a whisper. 

“You will be reigning queen. Mara, you must act the part. Marry Astin and forge an alliance with the country of Morro, for the sake of Casmerelda. Your people need you.”

“I need you,” Mara said, gripping her father’s hand. She frowned, studying the tips of his fingers, a blackened hue lacing his skin.

“You shouldn’t touch me.” He tried to pull away, unsuccessfully. Her grip remained tight, but more significantly, he’d grown weak from the disease ravaging his body.

“I haven’t been infected, and I’ve been at your bedside every night.” Mara ordered the servants to bring more water and rags. It had done little good to break his fever or alleviate the discomfort he must have been experiencing, but it was all she could think of to help.

“Marry Astin.” His words were rough slipping past his lips. He wheezed, trying to speak, but Mara rested a hand upon his chest.

“Don’t.” She didn’t want to have this conversation again.

“For the sake of the kingdom,” he said, pleading with her.

Mara refused to answer. Marrying Astin wasn’t what she wanted. “I have no desire to be queen so young. You will pull through, do you hear me?”

He’d fallen into a deep slumber, unable to answer her.

About the Author

Ruth Silver is the best-selling author of the Aberrant trilogy. With a passion for writing and a love of story-telling, Ruth is actively writing two series: Royal Reaper and Orenda. She also writes The Federal Agent Chronicles and Palace Secrets, both of which are adult romance under the name Ravyn Rayne for Blushing Books. Her interests include traveling, reading, and photography. Her favorite vacation destination is Australia. Ruth currently resides in Plainfield, Illinois.

Follow Ruth here: Blog- http://writeawaybliss.com
Facebook- http://facebook.com/writeawaybliss
Twitter- http://twitter.com/writeawaybliss

Looking for a steamier read? Check her out here: Blog- http://ravynrayne.com
Facebook- http://facebook.com/ravynraynereads
Twitter- http://twitter.com/blushingravyn