Oak Tree Publisher Gives Advice
Recently, Billie Johnson, Oak Tree Press Publisher, spoke to the San Joaquin chapter of Sisters in Crime. For a query, she prefers three paragraphs: 1. A recap of the story in three to five sentences. 2. How you plan to market the book. 3. Something about the author. (My advice: any writing credits and why you are the one to write the story) Read the publisher's guidelines so you aren't wasting time by querying a genre the publisher doesn't publish. Once you've queried, don't bug the publisher or the acquisitions' editor. This process takes time. Billie says she's not opposed to making a few adjustments to the contract, but will pass on publishing if the author wants too many changes. She prefers working with authors who don't have a lot of delusions about the book business, stating that there are many layers to selling books. Every author should prepare a marketing plan ahead of time that will show the author's depth o...