Interview with Vic Fortezza - Author of the Books We Read

Author Vic Fortezza

Interview with Vic Fortezza about the challenges of publishing in today's market Vic Fortezza was born in Brooklyn in 1950 to Sicilian immigrants. He has had more than 50 short stories published worldwide. He has five books in print: novels Close to the Edge, Adjustments, Killing, Exchanges, and the story collection A Hitch in Twilight. He was empl...

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Welcome to this Angell's Life

Hello folks! I am new to Author's Info, and excited to get to know people! I figured I'd take a moment to introduce myself in my first blog post. I am Heidi Angell and I am an author. Author. That is such a funny word. The Merriam Webster online dictionary define an author as- a : one that originates or creates : source b the writer of a literary work (as a book) So, yes, I am an author. I have written several books. I am also a PUBLISHED author, as I currently have two books for sale on Amazon and Nook. ( Royal prince Vince is a charming children's book and Creative Exercises to Inspire is a great way to get your creative juices flowing!) Yet, because I self-published, I am classified as a "Self-published author" which, is somehow considered less than a "real author". Here is where we escape the niceties of Miriam Webster and enter into definitions which are subjective. It really is quite messy. Many self-published authors are so frightened by the stigma of "self-published" that we would rather ride on the coat tails of "indie author" (which, until a few years ago, was as dirty a word as Self-published, but I shall not digress!) We form our own publishing companies, to make ourselves more presentable. But if a publishing company only publishes work by one author, and is owned and operated by the author, is it really an indie publishing house? Hmm.... Yet, I have one. Angell Enterprises, where on my site, I offer services to help other authors publish as well. (Everything I have done so far has been for free, even. Go figure!) I have not published anyone else's work, but I have given advice on manuscripts, helped edit, and am even helping other authors to market their own work... which they have decided to publish under their own indie companies.Part of me thinks that if a handful of us got together and agreed to operate under one publishing house, and to pool our efforts with one another, then we could compete with the bigger houses better. But how does one go about this? Especially when it comes time to split the checks? Who gets to be the CEO, the CFO, etc. Hmm... it gets messier. So currently I am my own CEO, CFO, Editor, marketer, social media expert, etc. I work in collaboration with other authors and their publishing houses (Such as Dawn Tevy of Soul Star Multimedia, LLC. and Lee Newman of Fisticuffs Publications), Depending on the services, I get a mention in the book, maybe a percentage of sales during a marketing campaign, or just a great big smiley face on Facebook ;). Around all of that, I am also working on my next release, The Hunters, and waiting for my agent contract to expire on a psychic thriller series, so I can publish those next! And you thought I was just an author!

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Publishing Mayhem

With so many individuals realizing their goal to be a published author through the help of self publishing tools, print on demand services, and small publishers alike, it is a wonder that the basics are still falling by the wayside. We have entered the land of publishing mayhem. Like any business, the road to success in becoming an author is not realized without hard work and dedication. So why then are so many still jumping in blind to the basics? Writing should be the easy part but what comes after will take many hours of training and a good dose of that thing we call reality check. You wrote an awesome book. That may be a true statement but does it mean that everyone will immediately flock to your product? Chances are no. You must build your brand and following from the ground up. There are many books in the sea. How will you separate your work from the pack? Publishing involves more than just packaging a book for sale.  

When it comes to seeking a publisher, education goes a long way in ensuring one does not enter into a deal that will do no more than front them the cash for a book cover, typesetting, and editing. One of the key terms that many new authors fail to consider is DISTRIBUTION. It is a self publishers nightmare as limited resources and connections could very well present a huge challenge for authors with so much potential, self included. When entering the publishing mayhem it is wise to ask key questions about how your work will be distributed and reach the hands of buyers. Ingram will not establish a direct connection with publishers of fewer than 10 titles and Baker & Taylor focuses heavily on proven demand. Let's say you overcome the obstacles. It will not help to get that nice distribution account with the likes of Ingram and Baker & Taylor if you can't:

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Hello Ms. Oana,

© 2012 by Oana

Some people are to the writers’ community what Jehovah’s Witnesses are to our neighborhoods.

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