I’ll Just Wait Until It Comes Out In Print
The Writer is excited. She or he feels as though a million years of scratching in the dirt, sore fingers, agonizing brains, tear stained and raw cheeks, has finally paid off. Someone, a Publisher, has taken a shine to their work. A contract sits before them.
And the Writer thinks, so what if there isn’t a gazillion dollar advance. So what if the New York Times still won’t know I exist. We all have to start at the bottom right? And for a billion other reasons, a small publisher is the way to go.
*sighs*
The Writer says, “It doesn’t matter because I…I have arrived.”
Until you realize the rest of the world has yet to catch up with your enthusiasm because how many of you have told you’re so called supportive friends and family that you are published. And they act excited until they go to purchase the book realizing it is actually an Ebook—not Print. Then comes the weird moment that sometimes flickers a hint of snobbery, uncomfortable fidgeting, and a mile long list of whatever excuses.
Your Friend, “I’ll just wait until it comes out in print. You see,” fidget, fidget, fidget, “I have such a hard time reading anything on the computer.”
(Despite the 24 hour long days they spend on messenger and on web sites mucking around)
“I am not electronically savvy. I just don’t get those electric… or… what is it? Electronic readers?”
(Yet we learned how to turn the computer on and use or text away on a cell phone, didn’t we?)
“I am so excited for you, but, I’ll just wait until it comes out in print.”
You, being totally understanding, accept that. In fact, when it comes to your writing career, what little you struggle to have, you learn that you are better off surrounding yourself within a world of strangers (possible readers and other writers like you) rather than share this part of yourself…this HUGE part of yourself with those you know on a personal basis. Why? Because the strangers don’t seem to tear you down so often. Holding no ill grudge or hurt emotion for lack of support, you move on…trying to further your career, UNTIL you receive a phone call from another friend or family member…
“I just left the restaurant with what’s her name. You know, today was our Reading Group Meeting. I suggested we read your book and discuss it next month. What’s- her- name ruthlessly cuts me down, telling everyone that you were not really published. That just because you got some small press that New York will NEVER recognize, doesn’t mean you are any better than someone who has self published. Why, she even busted out laughing saying you didn’t even have a book in print yet. You were part of some insane trend called Ebooks…which any wanna- be author could get their work published in.”
Yep, stand in line because THIS is pretty much what every Writer has to put up with when they start at the bottom in an attempt to work their way up. In fact, my best advice to you is to suck it up and make a list—A LIST of all those people who can SUCK IT (my theme for today) who WILL flock to you and act as though they are your biggest fan when New York does realize you exist, or when Hollywood turns your baby into killer film!
You see, we don’t really live in a world where every person decides what they like and or do not like. We live in a world where the majority of the people want what everyone else has, or what name brand sources tell them they absolutely NEED.
But the truth is this…
Small Publishers exist and are usually very picky on what they put out there. A writer submits a Synthesis, Query, Manuscript and or Chapter by Chapter outline to them like they do a Traditional Pub. And, a writer waits. They are either rejected and or accepted. Period.
Small publishers usually publish extraordinary talent that Traditional Publishers overlook, and then sometimes, some small pubs publish crap. However, if they publish crap then one quick Google will tell you so. In fact you can check sites like Predators & Editors and THEY will tell you whether its a crap pub or not. See, these places are NOT just for Writers. They can also be a readers best friend.
Here’s the thing, Traditional Pubs are very corporate—and in a way, they have to be. They need the next latest thing or a thing much like the latest craze. It costs them a pile of money more to publish and or advertise than what a Small Publisher has to deal with. So when you are dishing out hundreds of thousands to get a new book out there, naturally you ONLY want the books that will bring in a bazillion times more than that. Therefore, a lot of times, extraordinary talent is overlooked.
But when you purchase a book from a Small Publisher, (one with a great reputation), chances are you are about to read something by an Author with a style unseen or unheard of. Chances are you are about to embark on a journey unlike any other. You are about to fade into something original…something fresh. Chances are.
So do not turn your nose up at someone who is published by a Small pub or by someone whose work is only available in an Ebook (for now). Remember, writers makes lists and or can easily immortalize you in fiction as being a pompous, empty headed, jealous and no good frigid twit that had nothing better to do then piss on someone else’s dreams all because you haven’t the class or originality to dream up any of your own. And then lets not forget the spunk to go out there and make them happen. *winks*
Just remember that even though Small Pubs start something out in Ebook form, doesn’t mean it stays that way. After the author sells a certain amount of copies, THEN it will be offered up in Print. Remember that EBooks are the wave of the future and will become expected…as expected as paper, ink and cover. We all know that things change and as time moves forward so does the technology we use and its advancement. With that being said, Ebooks are legit folks. Plain and simple.
Yet if you still have doubts as a Reader, just email the author. Tell them, “Hey, I have gotten screwed over and disappointed by a few books in the past. I have bought them but then nearly cried because they were unreadable. Is there a way I can see a sample of your work so I know I am not wasting my money?”
I bet you anything, that the Author will send you a free chapter to PROVE they have a well polished, professionally edited and great written book.
So to all the writers out there…
Keep on keeping on. Remember what it took to get there. Remember what it means to be here. And Remember to keep it real. Don’t let anyone push you down.
It’s a Jungle out there!
Why do you write?
Every single person has their own answer to that one and usually, it ends with something like this…
“I write because it’s what I am.” or “I write because its what makes me happy.”
Now whether the words match, the meaning will be very similar. I know because I am one of the ones out there being pulled by what I feel, what I am best at…tell stories.
But it’s a jungle out there once you decide to go pro. Some days, most days, you feel like you’d have a better chance to hit the lottery. From finding agents, publishers, perfecting your work, your style, trying to get your name known, reviews, interviews…trying to simply survive. Yes, with all that and more, it’s a jungle.
The competition is fierce even among your own kind. I think its out of frustration really. I mean sometimes you have very few choices when thrown into a pond full of piranhas…either get eaten… become one yourself…or find a damn good rock to hide behind while you do your thing.
So why keep trying?
For me personally, I can’t see myself doing anything else. I have tried throughout my life…this job or that one. I usually end up hiding in a break room jotting down a new idea for a book or adding to an old one. Yes, I am blessed with great kids, a modest home, and supportive husband… and I have absolutely nothing to be depressed about. That is, if I’m writing. If I am not, I suffer from an emptiness that no one can fill.
So whether or not I’m a success, this is me…this is you—to all the writers who feel the same. Despite the jungle…we will write…period.
I have yet to take my chances on the lottery.
Don’t give up!
C.H. Scarlett
Interview with Rhiannon Rhodes of Dark Roast Press
ust so I would have something to bring to the table –I decided to interview my publisher Rhiannon Rhodes of Dark Roast Press. Now I am not in the business of interviewing but I did attempt to ask her questions that hopefully will give others an inside view of what she is all about. For all writers, I checked and Dark Roast Press is open for submissions.My questions are in bold and her answers are in Italic. And before I forget, you can check Dark Roast Press out for yourself by clicking HERE.
The Interview
A big hello to Rhiannon Rhodes–owner and creator of Dark Roast Press Publishing. First, thank you for doing this interview. Second, here’s hoping I do you justice lol.
Third, tell us a little about yourself.
Hey C, thanks for having me! Oh wow where do I start… I am a 32-year-old college student by day and an Erotic publisher in between homework and family. Born and raised in Chicago, I grew up reading books and loving Sci-Fi TV. I may have a slight obsession with Star Trek and Star Wars and little TV show called Supernatural. I mean just a slight obsession **whistles innocently**. When I am not working towards Dark Roast or doing schoolwork, I am usually reading fanfic from the various fandoms I love. The mentioned above of a part of those fandoms I am a part of. I am somewhat boring really.
This interview was posted on another blog I share. To read the rest of the interview, click HERE
Headline News: EBOOKS
1. NEW EBOOK READERS WILL MAKE LAPTOPS AND IPHONES LOOK OLD
In 2009, we will see a merging of digital technologies and plastics,
that will bring us lighter, more durable and versatile, and more
attractive devices for reading eBooks.
2. CRITICAL MASS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED, NOW ITS ABOUT GROWTH
The eBook reader is on a similar sales path as the iPod was during
its first couple years on the market.
3. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WILL EXPERIENCE DIGITAL INK FOR THE FIRST TIME
AND THEY WILL LOVE IT The primary supplier of the new technology
behind the eBook readers is a company named E Ink. Watch for a sea-
change in opinion about ebook readers once more people have used E
Ink based products.More on this article click: HERE by: Chris Andrews
Thanks to Maya Remolds for passing this article to us from Mike’s Writing Group on Yahoo. Maya is one of those writers who keep us informed. I am subscribed to her blog but I can’t get to the link right now. Keep watch ‘My Links’ on the menu because she is one of a few I am getting ready to add from another site.
The Pro’s & Con’s: Moving in Writing Circles
This is a touchy topic. In fact, we can consider it as the “elephant in the room.” It’s something that all writers, new or old, experience but will never really discuss it in open circles. When you begin to take your writing to the next level by making it a career, you try to find Writing Circles which you hope will put you in contact with other writers, tips, tricks and anything else which will help you succeed. In time you learn the harsh reality that nearly every single one of us has come to face. “Its best to keep it professional, detach yourself and stay at a distance.” Because if you don’t, you soon learn that a great majority of time, it can become a dream killer and bitter pool of snarky remarks.
Perfect example…
A new writer asked for permission to post about a contest that he or she was nominated for. The writing circle she posted in is set up strictly for just that. To help writers reach readers, work PR (promo) and to help each other become known by teaming up for giveaways, tagging, blogs and so forth.
Now to the new writer, this contest was a big deal. In fact, it had her on a mile high. Someone NOMINATED her which was like hitting the lottery. As a writer you become thankful for every little thing. Someone who read her book, nominated her and that meant, SOMEONE not only READ her book but they LIKED it enough to nominate her. You can’t beat that.
So she did the polite thing, she asked but instead of getting a direct answer, yes or no, the messages in this circle became bombarded with the moral opinions concerning contests themselves and, to my shock, someone even mentioned ‘trolling for votes.’
Not only did they burst the new and excited bubble of someone who was experiencing something new, a contest with moral BS but those writers who were destroying his or her “moment” was forgetting a cold hard fact which made their trolling theory look utterly ridiculous in my eyes. The writing circle I am speaking about was CREATED to help writers endorse, sell, and advertise their work. Trolling can not be used to accuse someone of concerning votes, no more than it can be accused for “sales” or “selling” or “Promotion.” When you ask the more experienced writers for tips on how they get their name out there to readers, their answer is, always look for opportunities to “plug” your work. Meaning, if you can join a place which allows you to advertise, do it. If you join a place and someone shows an interest in a genre you write, announce it. So considering that modo, how this new writer could be condemned or belittled because she/he was excited about a contest, completely floors me.
Then I remembered. I remembered why it is I avoid many writing circles. I stay in the ones which keeps me informed of the publishing world, like Mike’s Writing Group on Yahoo but other than than, I avoid, avoid, avoid. Mike, although I don’t know him personally, runs a tight shift. He doesn’t allow things to get personal. He doesn’t get involved but he stops anything which screams trouble. News which we need as writer’s gets posted. Information concerning publishers, promo ideas, critique (needing and giving) gets sent through. But the cutting down or killing of a writer’s “moment” doesn’t.
In many other places, writer’s on their own, can become a place of trouble. It’s as though we soon forget that hey, we were once there to or hey, this person is trying to advance. Maybe some writers join these groups or circles just to smash another writer’s self esteem or to rid themselves of competition. Maybe they get so caught up in the competition or the difficult road of getting your mark in the publishing world, that they turn bitter. I really don’t know the reasons. I just felt it important to blog about it.
So, find a legit and respectful writing group or circle BUT do not allow yourself to be affected by the ugliness that sometimes turns up in them. You need to be apart of one site which will keep you informed of what is happening in the writing world. You need to gain tips and knowledge so that you can succeed. But do not allow someone else to drag you down. You will make it! Determination and always trying to approve will get you there. Enjoy your moments! Don’t let anyone rain on your parade.
Epublishing—The facts from someone who knows.
Lynne Connolly is a great writer. She made a bold choice concerning her writing a very long time ago and hasn’t regretted it since. If any writer out there knows the ups and downs concerning Epublishing, it would be Lynne. She recently wrote an article which pretty much updates all other information out there concerning Epubs.
So if you are a writer and want to stay up to date concerning things…
Have a look.
The State of Epublishing Today
Quoted from the article:
I write for three of the biggest epublishers – Ellora’s Cave, Samhain and Loose-Id, and my income is – well it’s in five figures, which is what a midlist New York author can expect. This is not unusual for an author for the largest epub houses, and it’s no longer confined to the erotic only. My Samhain historicals are highly sensual, not erotic, and I’ve featured in the Samhain list of top ten sellers several times, as have other non-erotic authors.
I am fairly prolific, but a lot of that is reissues. My editors are as exacting as you’ll find anywhere, sometimes more so, and I have at least two for each book, and extra editing for print releases. I’m not showing off, I’m just tired of people saying that epubbed authors earn miniscule amounts, and then quoting someone from one of the smaller epubs. The majority of sales don’t lie there. Authors write for them for various reasons – to get into the market, because they’re friends with the owners, because they’re happy with the editing and cover art the house offers or because they expect the house to grow and want to grow with it.
Rhiannon Rhodes & Dark Roast Press
I guess this article is long overdo. After all I promised to say things as I learned them hopefully to help other writers who were just getting their foot in the door, etc.
Over the summer after a car accident and then my house burning down, I took a real clear look at my life and my writing. Not to bore you with details but I made the decision to back off from submitting my novel Bound By Blood: The Awakening to anymore publishers and decide what was really best for me and the book. Basically, I needed a break. Too much was going on at the time and I wanted to research more into my options as a writer and so forth.
A friend of mine and published author contacted me about a publisher he had been working with called Dark Roast Press. Since my book has romantic elements but does not revolve around it, has a strong story line which does revolve around Fantasy and Paranormal and a very active imagination, he suggested that I send it in to DPR.
I did my research on DPR (Dark Roast Press) but I was really weary. It wasn’t about them, my weariness, but was focused more on where I was in life. I was going through physical therapy, trying to move, dealing with lawyers (which I normally avoid as much as doctors) and everything else that comes from basically trying to live and breathe. Chris wouldn’t take no for an answer. He believed that my novel was ready to be read and despite the bumps I was trying to drag myself over, bugged me until I submitted it.
So I did and I really didn’t expect much to come out of it. I went on with the things that were going on in life, lost my Internet service for awhile because of the move and things went on as normal. Then one night while I was cooking supper for my family, I get a phone call. Its Rhiannon Rhodes, owner of Dark Roast Press. She explained that her publishing house usually published erotica (of no discrimination) but she was expanding into other types of fiction. Now during this phone call I realized a few things….
1. She had read the book in great detail. I know this is probably what all publishers do but to me, it showed she was legit. I mean can you imagine how many books these people have submitted in a day? Well its a lot. So for her to know actual details, small and large impressed me greatly. And the fact that she never confused my story with any other submission, impressed me even more. She also knew my characters in great detail as if she was intimate with each and every one. Now that saying something since my book is rather thick with plenty of characters…each complex or on their way in becoming so.
2. Her honesty and straight forwardness. There was no sugar coating with her which made any praise she gave me seem golden and priceless. She also understood and took a interest into what was going on in my life…she wasn’t demanding. Meaning, she didn’t tell me, Ok if you want to published with me, I want three complete manuscripts of the next in line of this series. She seemed to know me and my style of writing better than I knew myself. She had vision AND she was professional about it which reflected her experience concerning her field.
3. By recognizing my books potential and mine, she saw ahead as far as my novel went and the series that would follow. You know as a writer it is very important for someone to ‘get’ you and your skill and that’s what I got from Rhiannon. She got me and she didn’t seem to mind the length of my novel either which is a big problem with many first time writers being published. My story supported the length and the plots and characters carried it, in her eyes. (And believe me, she lets you know how keen of an eye she has when you talk to her, not by telling you or bragging but by showing you with facts and experience– she knows what makes a successful book and career)
I could list more but those were the top three that impressed me the most. So by the end of that conversation, I decided to go with Dark Roast Press and so far I haven’t regretted it.
I get one on one attention there which I think is very important. Meaning, if I have a question and I email her, she is right on it with an answer. She demands quality, not quantity. She knows what her writers are capable of and she won’t let us sell ourselves short of anything less than the full potential of our talent. I never got brushed under the rug because I was the new kid on the block. She treats me fair and equal never allowing me to become lost in favoritism or numbers.
My editor, Helgaleena is also that way. Now this lady blew my mind when it came to my first edits. She could have focused on grammar, punctuation and format alone but instead she went a mountain or two further. She saw that I wasn’t pushing myself as far as my talent goes which is a very active imagination lol. So, she demanded that I take everything a step further . She worked out my genre’s and challenged me. She is kind of a mother hen who runs a tight house who basically says, “Ok this is good but I know you can do better.” Or “Your selling yourself short Kido, now you know you are capable of more.”
If it doesn’t make sense then she challenges me to rethink and rewrite it. THAT’s what I needed. I needed someone who could recognize in me what I didn’t in myself. So I consider myself VERY lucky there. She isn’t the kind of editor who says, “This won’t work.” and it ends there. She lets me explain why I wrote it in the first place and then she says, “Ok well if this is going to work, we need to do this, this or this.” Or she throws the whole, “Ok this is good but I know that imagination of yours can do better.” at me.
I have a trust and a respect for her because I know she has my best interest at heart. She also doesn’t spend her time trying to make me write like the next Nora Roberts or Steven King. She wants me to write like C.H. Scarlett and zero in on what makes me different as a story teller.
That’s a true gift. Period.
It should also be noted that Dark Roast Press isn’t the typical publisher. They aren’t into the commercial aspect of writing. Meaning, they want a strong story and plot and not the next Harry Potter. That worked for me because even though my book has romance in it, the story does not focus on just two characters hooking up. It revolves around a world filled with characters which is made of Fantasy and Paranormal. A ‘High Epic’ Fantasy as my editor calls it.
My publisher puts out E-books but sometime this year she is going to do print as well. That was VERY important to me. Let’s face it, as a writer I have to think ahead concerning my future so it meant a lot to me that my publisher was thinking ahead as well. It didn’t matter to me that they were small and starting out because so am I. I needed someone to believe in my work so it wouldn’t kill me to believe in their determination for success as a publisher.
They do not discriminate either which I discovered to be a big deal in trying to get published. I had an agent refuse to read my manuscript because it had characters which were something like vampires in it. It was against her religion to read something like that. I had a publisher refuse me because it was too much of a story, too much magic and too much imagination and not enough sex. She flat out told me that the only works she published were quick reads that focused on the relationship between two characters. That’s great if it works for her but was a problem since my book didn’t fit that cliche.
Dark Roast Press doesn’t seem to care if your writing about gay love, erotica, romance, fantasy, horror or whatever else. They have an open mind concerning submissions. As long as the writing is of its own style and flare and the story stands out. They want stories that shine on its own. They do not want another version of Lord of the Rings simply because that’s the latest craze. They want something NEW—told in a way that blows the other out of the water. They want a NEW story even if it is something daring. They really give their writers a chance to be different.
Anyway, I am very happy with them and am thankful that they took a chance on me and my work. They are fairly new but the owner and staff have plenty of experience. They are still working out the kinks but given time, I am sure they will be a name everyone will recognize.
Don’t take my word for it though…go hunt down their writers and ask them. (they would know better than anyone) That’s how I got started.
C.H. Scarlett
Lay Offs in the Publishing
I found this interesting site that listed some lay offs in the publishing business.
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For complete article click HERE
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Now this article only lists the highlights and was published December 16th. So for those who, like me, have a career in writing or publishing, it seems it is being affected in the same way as every other business.
Times like these, I am even more thankful that I went with a smaller press. This doesn’t mean my publisher can’t fold but thankfully I have a smart one who knows how the economy is and thinks wisely before every step she plans to take. My publisher is Dark Roast Press, owned by Rhiannon Rhodes. I feel for those losing their jobs. I feel for the writers who are being affected by this. Its hard enough to make it in this business and once you get there, it doesn’t get any easier.
I hear writers asking all the time, “what is going to happen with the publishing world?”
Hang in there…I am trying to. I am also hopeful. I believe that something great always comes from something bad. DON’T give up! We knew the odds of us striking it rich in this business was zero to none. We would have had better luck hitting the lottery right? So the money was obviously NOT the reason we worked so hard for our careers. Keep writing. Keep at it. Someone, somewhere NEEDS your book right now…they need an escape!
The Future of Publishing
I would have embedded this video but sometimes the screens ends up so big that it bleeds over into my menus.
I thought it very important to post this though and I think you will agree, reader or writer because it explains what will be come of the publishing industries that are crumbling.
Its a positive video though so you will be very surprised I am sure. The Agent explains the importance of BLOGS, Ereaders, Ebooks and how buying a book from your local book stores will change.
So for readers, I say watch it so that you have some idea of how things will change (for the better) for you.
For writers, I say watch it so you know where your profession is heading and that you are given some hope this Christmas…from me to you.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
‘If the fat lady sings then we will just stuff a cork in her cuz it ain’t over until we are damn good and ready!’
C.H. Scarlett
Behind Publishing’s Wednesday of the Long Knives
As the publishing industry reels the day after announcements of layoffs by major publishers, you can expect lots of ink to be spilled about the underlying reasons. I doubt if they will drill down to what’s really at the heart of these upheavals.
I’m going to ask you to read my comments twice. When you get to the end you’ll understand why.
Richard Curtis
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The American trade book industry is undergoing the most serious recession in its history, and though it has rebounded from other down cycles in the past, anyone who thinks it will return to boom times is living in a fool’s paradise.
Trade book publishing has been in decline since the end of World War II. Industry boosters cite increased sales volume over that period to support the view that all is well, but much of the growth can be attributed to normal population increases and inflation. For the real story, one has but to look at the long roll call of publishers that have been forced to sell themselves to conglomerates, merge with larger publishing houses, or go out of business entirely. I am not speaking about mom-and-pop publishers operating on a shoestring; I’m referring to giants like Simon and Schuster, Doubleday, Bantam, Putnam, Macmillan, Scribner, Penguin, St. Martin’s Press, and Harper and Row. Today, we are left with only seven or eight major trade book combines. Presumably, in this publisher-eat-publisher jungle, these survivors are the fittest. But are they any healthier than the weaklings they acquired?
To read more of this article
Hard Times For Writers
Every single writer, published or unpublished, knows how hard it is to make it in this profession. Even when someone does make it, they quickly learn that the money they make, isn’t nearly close to making the rent. Sometimes it isn’t even enough to put gas in the car.
How many times have you heard someone say, “The professional writing industry is one of the lowest paid out there.” In fact, how many writers can even lay claim to making something as low as minimum wage if they make anything at all? Not many.
What was difficult before is now bordering on the impossible. ‘Getting published’ makes writing the book seem like a trip to the candy store. And now that the top publishers are in trouble, well now may very well be the time that writers search out other options. And with that being said, there are plenty of them out there.
You would think that given the bad times the world is facing that people would want to escape into a book much more so than ever before. There exists the break in the ice though. They are too busy working, trying to make those bills and what little money they earn, something so small as the cost of a book is too much of a splurge for now.
The answer? I really don’t have one and I don’t think anyone does. I can say that for those writers who are trying to get their foot in the door or for those who have, hang in there. Your not only facing the challenge of selling your work or having it accepted but you are facing the challenge of surviving a recession. Don’t give up, don’t give up. The world needs your story and your imagination…even if they don’t know it yet.
C.H. Scarlett
Layoffs at Random House, Simon & Schuster
NEW YORK — The economy has crashed down on an industry once believed immune from the worst _ book publishing _ with consolidation at Random House Inc., and layoffs at Simon & Schuster and Thomas Nelson Publishers.
“Yes, Virginia, book publishing is NOT recession proof,” said Patricia Schroeder, president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers. “It’s a sad day.”
At Random House, the country’s largest general trade publisher, the man who helped give the world “The Da Vinci Code” is in talks for a new position, while the publisher of Danielle Steel and other brand-name authors is leaving altogether.
Stephen Rubin, who released Dan Brown’s blockbuster thriller in 2003, is negotiating for a different job after Random House eliminated his position as president and publisher of the Doubleday Publishing Group. Bantam Dell head Irwyn Applebaum, whose many authors have included Steel, Dean Koontz and Louis L’Amour, is departing, effective immediately.
Random House, under the leadership of chief executive officer Markus Dohle, announced the changes Wednesday as part of a “new publishing structure” that will “maximize our growth potential in these challenging economic times and beyond.”
Spokeswoman Carol Schneider would not say whether Applebaum, 54, was leaving voluntarily; Applebaum and Rubin, 67, have more than 40 years of combined experience in publishing. She said that layoffs are possible as the company’s many imprints and divisions are shifted and split up.
“There may be difficult decisions to make and if layoffs are necessary they will be done as fairly and as quickly as possible,” she said.
Simon & Schuster has been helped by President-elect Barack Obama’s embrace of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals,” but not enough to save some 35 positions, about 2 percent of the staff. CEO Carolyn Reidy said in a company memo Wednesday that “today’s action is an unavoidable acknowledgment of the current book-selling marketplace and what may very well be a prolonged period of economic instability.”
Reidy added that “the entire publishing industry is coping with these truly difficult circumstances.”
On Tuesday, a top executive at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt resigned as the publisher faces a credit squeeze and possible sale. Meanwhile, the head of Thomas Nelson Publishers, a Nashville, Tenn.-based company that releases religious books, announced that about 10 percent of the staff, “54 of our friends and co-workers,” had lost their jobs.
“This will affect nearly every department in our company,” CEO Thomas S. Hyatt wrote on his blog, . http://www.michaelhyatt.com
An overhaul has been expected at Random House ever since Dohle was hired last spring by parent company Bertelsmann AG, a German-based conglomerate, and began a planned months-long review of the publisher.
Last month, Random House said it would freeze pensions for current employees and eliminate them for new hires.
Under the new alignment, Random House will reduce the number of its principal divisions from five to three: The Random House Publishing Group, the longtime home to E.L. Doctorow and Maya Angelou; the Knopf Publishing Group, a literary institution that includes Toni Morrison and John Updike; and the Crown Publishing Group, known for such political authors as Obama and Ann Coulter.
Applebaum’s Bantam Dell Publishing Group and Rubin’s Doubleday Publishing Group will be dispersed among the three divisions. Bantam has long been in trouble as sales for mass market paperbacks dropped, while Doubleday has been hurt by the absence of Brown’s long-awaited follow-up to “The Da Vinci Code” and by disappointing sales for a highly publicized debut novel, Andrew Davidson’s “The Gargoyle.”
Dohle said Wednesday that he is hoping to “create a new role” for Rubin at Random House, working directly with the CEO.
“As you know, Steve has successfully led Doubleday for almost two decades and is universally respected and admired throughout the industry for both his publishing expertise and management skills,” Dohle said in a company memo.
Rubin, through a spokesman, declined to comment Wednesday.
Applebaum said in a statement he had been “honored to work with a long-standing team of extraordinarily skilled colleagues at Bantam Dell who, book by book, year after year, consistently have brought to the marketplace more top-level best-sellers than any other group of Random House.”
Asked if he had been offered another position at Random House, Applebaum declined to comment.
Dohle is retaining at least one Random House tradition _ allowing the divisions to bid against each other for books, a practice far more welcomed by authors and agents than by those worried about expenses.
“I want to stress the fact that all the imprints of Random House will retain their distinct editorial identities,” Dohle said Wednesday. “These imprints and all of you who support them are the creative core of our business and essential to our success.”
Also, Wednesday, The New York Times announced its 10 best books for 2008. Nine of them, including Toni Morrison’s “A Mercy” and Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Unaccustomed Earth,” were published by Random House Inc.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/03/major-reorganization-unde_n_148264.html
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HILLEL ITALIE | December 3, 2008 06:40 PM EST | 
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