What Publishers Want (And How To Give It To Them)

Eli Jackson is the owner and founder of Griffyn Ink, a small publishing company with heart. As their website says, “Griffyn Ink is an independent publishing company, dedicated to helping authors.” Griffyn Ink publishes fiction books with an emphasis on suspense and thrillers. The Texas-based publisher is also the first company in the world to create what they’re calling an AudioMovie, “an unabridged audio recording of a novel, enhanced 
by soundtrack, sound effects, and unique actors for each part.” Sounds exciting!

WordHustler sat down with Eli to get the skinny on what publishers want…and how YOU can give it to them.

WordHustler: How did you get into publishing? What route did you take to set up your own publishing company?

Eli Jackson: I watched author friends of mine wait for months to get a reply. I had heard about places that requested the manuscript, but they were still slow to respond and not forthcoming with information. I saw how frustrating it was, and more importantly what a wealth of good material there was that wasn’t getting published. So I designed my company to really help out new authors. So many places want you to be published before they will publish you, which makes no sense to me. Other publishers take anything and everything and throw it all up against a wall to see what sticks. That leaves a lot of people with a failed book on their hands.

Griffyn Ink publishing was started out of respect for what authors go through to get published. We are very small and only publish a few books a year because of the amount of work we do with each author. Authors want to write, not create e-mail campaigns and sign up for Amazon. While some marketing is essential for the author to do personally, a lot of can be done by someone behind the scenes, and that is what we provide.

WH: What books are on your nightstand right now?

EJ: I’m a big fan of Michael Crichton. I also really enjoy business and marketing books, so 1001 Ways to Market Your Books by John Kremer is there, too. It’s phenomenal and I recommend it for authors who decide to self-publish as well as for those who use “traditional” publishing. Currently, I’m listening to audio by Ron White to learn about increasing my memory.

WH: What’s the last truly great book you’ve read?

EJ: If I’m being honest, I’d have to say Vengeance by AJ Scudiere. This is clearly why I picked up AJ as a Griffyn Ink client in the first place. The action is described so vividly and I wanted to root for all the characters even though they had opposing views. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Griffyn Ink is offering WordHustlers a special discount on AJ’s first book, Resonance. Wordhustler readers who go to AJ’s website save $2 on the paperback or EBook by using coupon code “Wordhustler.” You can pre-order AJ’s new book, Vengeance, on the site as well.]

The last great book I read that I didn’t publish would have to be You Don’t Know What Love Is – A Toast to my Dead Ex-Husband by Sandy Wilson. Sandy is a friend of mine who self-published. This riveting story of her life with an abusive husband is a rough-around-the-edges book that has a wonderful real-life charm to it.

WH: What was the first truly great book you read?

EJ: I didn’t really get interested in reading until junior high. The first thing a read purely for pleasure was Sphere by Michael Crichton. The suspense kept me turning pages and staying up all night to find out what happened next. This has stayed with me all along. Although Griffyn Ink is open to publishing other genres of books, we always have our eyes open for the next great thriller novel.

WH: What are the three things that make you want to read more when you receive a great submission?

EJ: 1) There has to be something in the first couple of pages that draws you in. This is not to say that every story must start with a car chase or something exploding. It could be as simple as an intriguing writing style or a unique point of view, even just a great opening sentence. There has to be something that makes me want to turn every page.

2) If you can make me connect with the characters, I’m interested. The summary is somewhat helpful in a submission, but it won’t be what I base my final decision on. Try summarizing your favorite book into three or four sentences and see if it doesn’t sound a little bizarre. Would you have invested in a synopsis that involved a hobbit on an adventure with a schizophrenic guide to destroy a ring?

3) A well-written query letter always makes me want to read more. There is no magic formula for a query letter, so be creative! If someone isn’t willing to put in the effort to write one page that will make me interested, then they aren’t going to be willing to put in the effort that it takes to sell a book. Publishers know that writing a query letter is very different than writing a book, but your personality will show through.

WH: What are three things that immediately turn you off when you receive a not-so-good submission?

EJ: 1) Unorganized submissions. If you haven’t followed the submission guidelines, we have no reason to believe that you pay attention to details or that you really care about publishing your book. Truthfully, I smile when I receive a submission through WordHustler.com because I know everything will be there and will be organized.

2) Typos. Take the time to proof your submissions. Your book should be completed (or very close to it) when you submit. Have someone else proof your submission to catch the things you missed. Also, use a generic greeting if you’re unsure of the person’s name who will be reading your submission. A personal greeting is nice, but a greeting to the wrong person is not.

3) Grandiose writing. We know you’re a writer – you don’t need to use big words where they don’t belong to prove to us that you know what they mean. Writing should flow easily and words that are thrown in to sound impressive stick out like a sore thumb.

WH: Any funny submission stories (aka chapters written on tree bark, toilet paper, delivered with a singing telegram, etc)?

EJ: Picture this: You receive a shoe box with one designer high-heeled shoe in it. Also inside is a query letter. “Why did I receive one high-heeled shoe?” you ask yourself. At the end of a very nice query letter is a note:

I hope this helps me get my foot in the door.

I’m still curious who got the other shoe.

WH: Wow. That’s….wow. So what are five tips you’d give aspiring writers?

EJ: 1) Get ready for a long wait. Publishing is slow. It’s just the nature of the beast.

2) Don’t expect to get rich quickly. There’s a lot of investment up front in publishing and it takes a while to start making profit.

3) Don’t be afraid of self-publishing. There are lots of great places out there that will help you out, including Griffyn Ink – as we can offer just marketing help, if that’s what you want. Just be sure you do your homework and use a reputable company.

4) You can’t take rejection personally. Your submission is probably one of hundreds or thousands that a publisher receives in a year and 99% of those will be rejected. It’s true that we have to turn away good projects because we have to choose the ones that we believe can do the very best – our business depends on it.

5) Enjoy writing. It’s easy to get bogged down in submissions and formatting and editing. Remember why you write and you will write better.

WH: Okay here’s a double question: do you think books are ever going to be replaced by electric readers like the Kindle? How confident do you feel about the future of publishing?

EJ: I don’t think books will ever be completely replaced by electronic copies. However, I believe there is a big shift in the market coming where electronic versions will become much more popular. I’m not really worried about the publishing industry because we are adapting. Griffyn Ink offers ebooks, Kindle editions, and audio books along with our printed versions. In any business, if you refuse to grow with the times, you will fail. Griffyn Ink is staying ahead of the market with the innovation of new media.

For example, Griffyn Ink is currently working on the World’s First AudioMovie. In October 2008, Resonance by AJ Scudiere will be released in AudioMovie format. AudioMovies will be the next generation of audio books – incorporating actors for each part, different points of view, music, and sound effects. Listeners will no longer be read to by a single voice. Instead, they will become a part of the story. It will be similar to the experience of going to a theater, only without the visuals – those will still be created in your imagination. This way, you’ll still have each character exactly the way you want them.

WH: Awesome. Any last helpful tidbits you’d like to share?

EJ: There’s nothing like the feeling of holding your own book in your hands. No matter how you go about it, stick to it. Don’t let the process wear you down. You’ll be so glad in the end when you are a published author.

Do you have a novel to submit to Griffyn Ink? Log on to WordHustler.com today and get your thrilling brilliance out to the world!