Publishing is not like Tinker Toys
I don't watch much television, but every now and then I catch a show. Well, the other day I was mindlessly sitting on the sofa when a commercial came on. It was an "Author's Kit": everything you need to be an author. Wow! My mouth dropped, and I wondered since when did my chosen profession become a Tinker Toy set? We ALL can be authors, and here' the kit. I imagined an engineering set: here is your Build a High Rise kit complete with concrete and hammer. You too can build a downtown high rise just use our handy kit. Dear friends and prospective authors if publishing has now come down to a KIT we're all in for a lot of really bad books. Do-it-yourself publishing kits do not replace professionals. Each part of publishing is a profession. Editing is a skill. Writing is a talent. Graphic art another profession. People go to college and attain degrees to perfect these skills.
What I think happened is the eBook revolution has created a slippery slope. An area that once had gatekeepers around it called publishers has turned into a publishing free-for-all where even Joe up the street can acquire a "kit" and use a distribution service like Create Space and voile! He's an author. It doesn't mean the work is any good, but it's out there. The result: a glut of poorly written products that are loosely called books written by folks who don't know publishing from an 8th-grade essay.
As a professional publisher, I am offended that they are selling publishing kits like Tinker Toys, but I accept that it is what it is. Problem is that too many misinformed "authors" run around and falsely believe that their Tinker Toy published book is being "published" by Create Space. I'm going to remind you: Create Space and others like it are nothing more than distribution mechanisms for eBooks. They are not legitimate "publishers". So when someone calls it a publisher I wish they wouldn't because it continues to engender misunderstanding. When my company 3L Publishing gets compared to a distribution mechanism that costs all of $99 to use, it's frustrating. I have to continually dispel this "publishing myth" and explain why they don't really have a publisher -- they have a tool. The next problem is the $99 special gets compared to my service which costs much more money. My integrity gets questioned, which is completely ridiculous. It's not the same at all.
Why do you want to procure 3L Publishing professional publishing services?
What I think happened is the eBook revolution has created a slippery slope. An area that once had gatekeepers around it called publishers has turned into a publishing free-for-all where even Joe up the street can acquire a "kit" and use a distribution service like Create Space and voile! He's an author. It doesn't mean the work is any good, but it's out there. The result: a glut of poorly written products that are loosely called books written by folks who don't know publishing from an 8th-grade essay.
As a professional publisher, I am offended that they are selling publishing kits like Tinker Toys, but I accept that it is what it is. Problem is that too many misinformed "authors" run around and falsely believe that their Tinker Toy published book is being "published" by Create Space. I'm going to remind you: Create Space and others like it are nothing more than distribution mechanisms for eBooks. They are not legitimate "publishers". So when someone calls it a publisher I wish they wouldn't because it continues to engender misunderstanding. When my company 3L Publishing gets compared to a distribution mechanism that costs all of $99 to use, it's frustrating. I have to continually dispel this "publishing myth" and explain why they don't really have a publisher -- they have a tool. The next problem is the $99 special gets compared to my service which costs much more money. My integrity gets questioned, which is completely ridiculous. It's not the same at all.
Why do you want to procure 3L Publishing professional publishing services?
- To really publish a professional book that is correctly edited, designed and released into legitimate publishing sales channels for both print AND eBook.
- To gain credibility as a bona-fide author with a bona-fide publisher.
- To get your print book into bookstores like Barnes and Noble through our Baker and Taylor distributors.
- To be able to get professional reviews because you are published by a professional.
- To give your book a real shot at becoming a top seller.
Are you ready to make your book dream come true? Don't buy the Tinker Toy set. If you know your book is legitimately well written, contact us at 916-300-8012 or send an email to info@3LPublishing.com. We'll get your book done right!
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