Recently I was hired to be the Publisher for Dark Age Press. http://www.darkagepress.com

It is interesting being the publisher as well as a writer. Of course, Dark Age Press won’t be publishing anything that I write. That is okay. What is exciting is seeing all of the new and hopeful authors submit their works. I am on the back end of the publishing which means that I mostly deal with the business aspects. The submissions group reads the stuff and the editors edit the stuff. Mean while, I get to work with contracts, bookstores, advertising, authors, artists, libraries, malls, and any other place an author may desire to host a book signing event. Wooop! Still, it is an interesting challenge.

On occasion, I am asked to read a submission to give my two cents. Mostly, I do not get to see the books until the ONE has been selected. That one is the one I review. I may send notes down to the editors or may discuss the book with submissions department. I am the final say on all things. Seriously, I don’t have time to poke around with all of the submissions. I barely have time, and I have to shove things out of my calendar to do so, to read the one that the group thinks is the best for publishing from either the January or the August open submissions months.

I dread the day that agents start coming to my door. That will mean even more work for me. Sigh… I may have to hire someone — NOT yet however. I do think that we will have to hire more submissions people and maybe a marketing person to help advertise our authors’ books. We are still small.

Sadly, the book we chose from the January submission backed out. And that was after we put a lot of effort into his book. Perhaps, he will submit it in the future when he thinks he will have time to edit it into shape.

That is one thing that the editors constantly complain about. It seems all authors think their books do not need editing. I will tell you right now–they do. Even if it is perfect, this publishing house or that one has a unique style and outlook on what makes a great book. Thus, they will want changes here or there. It is the bad publisher whose edits actually change the novel for no reason. If there is a purpose, then that is fine.

Take for instance, the author who we just worked with. We told him that the main secondary character could not die. Why? Because it would ruin the overall effect of the structure of the story. The foundation and the general structure (language use, description, scene, setting, plot–basically everything) said that the main secondary character could not die. Maybe, he stepped away because we demanded that this did not happen. If so, he lied and said he was too busy. We want the best book and if that means changes, then that is okay.

I do demand to keep the integrity and overall vision of the author. If this cannot happen, then the novel is probably not one we should publish.

Ah well, back to the grind stone. I have another bookstore that needs me.

See you in the pages,

Kevin Pajak