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Fri, 20 Oct 2006 18:39:11 GMT

Welcome to Author Identity Publishing

Get Published! Author Identity is concentrating its publishing efforts on the short story market. We are compiling works of short fiction into collections that will combine the efforts of well-known authors and literary figures alongside new upcoming authors. Our compilations are arranged to provide the reader the enjoyment and variety of classic short stories along with more contemporary ones. If you find pleasure in reading and writing short stories you have found the perfect publishing house. Author Identity is committed to quality stories having literary merit. We are constantly looking for a variety of short fiction to be assembled into one of our upcoming compilations and eagerly await to read each submission.

Writers submit your short stories to us for publication consideration. We are continually searching for manuscripts from new rising stars and established authors of short stories and short fiction. Get published with Author Identity and one day your story may be in one of our anthologies.

Welcome back to the world of short story entertainment.

The Shortcut: 20 Stories To Get You From Here To There reached Number 2 on Amazon.com’s Bestseller list. We, at Author Identity, would like to express our sincere appreciation for all those who purchased the anthology and wish you great pleasure in reading it.

"If I had more time, I would write a shorter story." ~ Mark Twain

Frequently Asked Questions

Thu, 26 Oct 2006 00:06:47 GMT

You asked...We answered

Question:Is it easier to get published by being a short story author or by being a novelist?

Answer: To get published as a short story author is easier for the simple reason there are more avenues available for the short story author to get published than the novelist such in magazines, newspapers, and several online venues.

Question: What categories or genres are you looking for?

Answer: We are primarily searching for short stories in the genres of suspense, horror, humor, legal thriller, literature, juvenile, romance and chick lit.

Question: Can I submit multiple short stories to get published with Author Identity?

Answer: Yes, however we are only accepting one short story per author which doesn't mean we wouldn't be willing to publish other stories of yours in the future. At this time, we are keeping our compilations to one short story per author. If you have stories of different genres you would like to submit, we would be more than happy to accept those. However, don't submit multiple stories of the same genre. Try to select your best story and submit it to us.

Question: What are the lengths of your anthologies?

Answer: They range between 260-320 pages. Occasionally, an anthology may run slightly longer.

Question: Are your books published in paperback or in hardcover?

Answer: All first editions are published as a trade paperback.

Question: How much will the short story compilation books cost?

Answer: The retail price is $17.95 to $21.95.

Question: Do I have to email my story, or can I save to disk?

Answer: You must send the story via email to get published.

Question: Do I need to send a hard copy of my story?

Answer: No. We do almost everything on the computer, and we do not use the hard copies.

Question: How do you save as an RTF?

Answer: Open up your file, go to "File", down to "Save As". The little box will open up, go to the bottom and you will see either "Save as Type" or "File Type" and click on the arrow in that box. Next, look for "Rich Text Format" and click on that. Then click on "Save".

Question: Do I need an agent?

Answer: In most instances agents do not negotiate for the sale of short stories. This is mainly because the compensation is not great enough. This being said, you are more than welcome to have your agent contact us directly or obtain an agent before making a submission. We are willing to work with the author directly or their agent. This decision is left to each individual respectfully.

Question: I see your company puts a lot of emphasis on marketing. Do all publishers focus on marketing?

Answer: Marketing isn't a small part of the publishing business, it's the main part! If an author is unwilling to assist in this area there is little to no chance of success.

Question: I'm confused at how the royalties work. How much will I get paid as an author?

Answer: There will be a 10% royalty split between the authors for each book sold. This is on the higher side of the royalties amongst publishing companies and we feel it is a generous percentage. Most publishing companies pay 3-8%.

Question: Why don't I get the full 10% for each book sold?

Answer: Because this is a compilation, each book will have multiple authors each with their own short story. The 10% royalty is then equally divided amongst the authors. We understand that this is a small percentage, but also remember that being a short story writer will not make you rich. Author Identity will publish your story and you will have a tangible book with your story in it. The money, depending upon how many books are sold, is just an added bonus so get your story off the shelf or out of a dusty file and submit it.

Question: How long will it take Author Identity to respond to my synopsis submission?

Answer: We are working day and night on this upcoming compilation. We eagerly try to read all of our submissions within one to two months of receiving them and answer accordingly. If your email was sent to the incorrect department, please be patient and allow us extra time to forward it to the proper department.

Question: How long will it take you to read and respond to my manuscript?

Answer: We try to read and respond to all manuscript submissions within one to two months time.

Question: What information do I need to collect for each newspaper for the press release?

Answer: You will need the name of your 5 local newspapers, the name of the lifestyle editors or arts and entertainment editors and those individuals email addresses and phone numbers. Author Identity will create a press release and forward it to them along with your biography.

Royalties

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:14:12 GMT

For those who get published with Author Identity, we pay royalty percentages that are slightly above average industry standards, which are 10 percent for all books sold. This is the total amount of royalty paid. The royalty will then be divided equally among the authors in each compilation (book). Books given to reviewers free of charge are not entitled to royalties.

Furthermore, you are always the intellectual owner of the book. No one will alter with the text of your story after you have made it final. That is why it is vital that you make your final draft indeed final, because even the intellectual owner cannot change the book once it has gone to print.

Copyright

We want to help protect your work. Author Identity gives artists full protection for their works by registering their copyrights. Under U.S. law, you receive nominal protection without registration. But if you can't sue infringers or collect decent damages that protection means little. You, the author, retain the copyright of your story. If you haven’t yet registered your story at the Library of Congress, we will provide you with the link to the forms to secure a registration.

Library of Congress

Great Writing Tips For Those Who Would Like To Get Published

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 21:10:45 GMT

What is a short story?

What is a short story and more importantly, what makes a good short story. Short stories tend to be more concise and to the point than longer works of fiction. Because they are so concise, successful short stories rely on literary devices such as character, plot, theme, language and insight to a greater extent than longer works of fiction.

Writing a short story is an easy way to become familiar with the process of writing to get published. The short story can take on many different forms and one should allow them a measurable degree of creative control regarding format and structure.

This article was written by Andrew Lande

This is only intended as basic guide to writing a short story and based on more conventional styles and structures. With an understanding of the following short story concepts, the personal and creative possibilities and choices are many.

Important to remember is the notion "Show, don't tell." "Show, don't tell" refers to allowing your characters to express the story through their actions and dialogue not through you the writer telling the reader what is being expressed. Here is a simplified example of how it works. Instead of telling the reader through your writing "Joe was really mad at Kate for cheating with another man" you should show this with your writing: "With an ache in his stomach and a heart that had been torn apart, Joe was grinding his teeth as he approached Kate without initiating the customary kiss that had become routine during their year together. His pulse raced as he took in a deep breath, attempting to calm the rage that was hammering every thought he had of her. Kate couldn't look Joe in his crazed, red eyes. Instead, she fiddled with her hair as Joe's stare pierced though her masked guilt as he yelled: 'I hope he was worth because now we're through!'"

Developing a story idea is the first step. Choose an idea that excites you and ignites some passion and then define it with these important components.

Theme
The Theme of the story you are going to write could be something that can help in our lives or convey a message. Subtlety is important because you don't want to be preachy to your reader and at the same time you shouldn't have to explain what the moral of the story is. The reader should be able to learn and recognize the theme through your story.

Plot
In order to keep the reader excited and interested it is important to have a Plot, conflict or struggle that your main character has to overcome. This struggle can be with another character or it can be something a character struggles with inside the character like feelings or emotions. Most often the main character or the hero/heroine should win or lose on their own and not be rescued by someone else. Conflict usually intensifies as the story moves forward until it reaches its climax at the end of the story.

Story Structure
With Story Structure, it's imperative to quickly whisk the reader directly into the action and introduce the main character or hero/heroine. This is where you'll have to decide whether to tell your story in "first person" or "third person."
Writing in First person is telling the story as if it were happening to you by using the pronoun "I." Writing in Third person is telling the story as if it's all about other people by using the pronouns "he," "she," "it."

At first, writing a short story from the first person point of view seems simple, you just write as if you were the character telling the story. However, when getting further involved, there is more to consider. There are three different kinds of first-person narrators: "I" who tells his/her own story, "I" who tells the story of someone else they have observed, and "I" who retells a story told to them. Additionally, there are many other techniques for writing such styles of narrative, these include:

Dramatic monologue - The story is written as if the viewpoint character is speaking aloud to an audience.

Interior monologue -The story is written as the viewpoint character feels it, relives it and reflects on it. This type of story takes the reader along the character's journey of self-discovery. Usually the reader will end up knowing more than the character does.

Journal or diary - The story is written as if the viewpoint character is making a private record of events in a journal or diary without the intention of being read by others.

Letter - The story is written as if the viewpoint character is recording events, either as they happen or after the fact, in a letter to one or more individuals. The narrator is aware that at least one other person will read it, but what they record may depend on whether this is a private, intimate letter to one person, or a more general letter to a whole family.

Public journal - The story is written as if the viewpoint character is recording events, either as they happen or after the fact, for more public consumption. Imagine old explorers who kept journals of their expeditions and then published them later or sent parts home to be published as the journey went on.
Using the Third person point of view tells the story through the eyes of just one character-usually the hero/heroine. The third person point of view is the most common for writing fiction, but choosing this point of view is more complicated than simply writing "he," "she" or "they" to describe the action. There are three types of third-person narrators with many possible variations for each.

Omniscient - The story is written in the third person omniscient point of view where the narrator knows everything, allowing the writer to mention the thoughts and feelings of any character, and to insert narrative comments. The narrative can also skip around to different places and times, filling in back-story at any point in the present story. The challenges of this point of view are that sometimes it is difficult to maintain a consistent voice, it can feel impersonal to the reader and it is less believable than the other styles.

Objective - The story is written in the third person objective point of view, the narrator knows only what can be heard and seen from outside the characters. Imagine the narrator as recording events like a movie camera. All the thoughts and emotions of the characters are unavailable, so the story must speak for itself. The challenge of this point of view is that it can lack emotion and often create a cold and uninvolved feeling to the story.

Limited - The story is written in the third person limited omniscient point of view where the narrator knows everything about one character including thoughts and feelings. The other characters are only known through that one person. This type of viewpoint can be so close to the character that it is nearly a first person point of view, or it can pull back for a broader view. Because of its many advantages, this point of view is often thought of as the default.

After choosing a point of view one must decide whether to tell the story in the present or past tense. Past tense is writing the story as if it already happened, present tense is writing the story as it is happening right now. Once you have chosen your tense it is important to stick to it and not switch between tenses because it will confuse the reader.

Setting
Decide on a Setting for the story, a place and time that are interesting and familiar to you. You can create and imagine a fantasy setting or research a specific setting but it is important to be comfortable with what you are writing. Write what you know about.

Style and Tone
Style and tone is the language or dialogue you use that is right for your story. Always use action and dialogue to let the reader know what's happening whenever possible. Remember when writing your short story to "show, don't tell."

Characters
Dialogue should be in direct quotes like "Come help!" instead of indirect quotes as "He told her to come help." Don't complicated dialogue with difficult words or with too many words. To write well, simpler is usually stronger and less is most often more. Finally, choose the best word-the one that is closest to your meaning and gives the clearest image possible. If you can't think of a word, use a thesaurus.
Now that you have some insight into story structure, the next step is to start writing your short story. The concept of a beginning, middle and end can be considered and kept in mind but many interesting short stories don't take that linear approach. Reading short stories is a great way to learn about them and the many different styles in which they can be written. Writing your short story should be a creative process that reveals itself to you as go along. As you grow into the writing process you will know what is right and what works because it will feel organic to you when it does.

Andrew was educated at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and the University of California at Santa Cruz. He has authored The Cigar Connoisseur along with numerous magazine articles on cigars, food & wine and travel. Aside from these areas of interest, Andrew has written for both film and television having sold an original screenplay as well as a two-hour A&E Biography.

Author Identity's Policies

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 22:36:47 GMT

Before asking to get published with Author Identity, please read the following policies prior to making a submission of your work. These policies will give you, the future author, a better understanding of what is expected of you prior to signing a contract for your work.

As a small publishing house we are dedicated to quality work. Our reputation depends on it. We are therefore, careful with the work we present to the public. Great TIME AND ENERGY is spent in editing, proofreading and formatting your work. That being said, we do require input for each of our authors. Realize no matter how much care is taken it is possible for a mistake to occur. For this reason we call on all our authors to review their work prior to publication. No one knows your work better than you do. Many of you have spent months, if not years, crafting your submission. We all want the best. We therefore require you to sign off on the copy prior to publication. No changes can be made once you sign off on the project.

Marketing will be a concentrated effort. We do require that all authors participate in the marketing efforts of their book. In other words if a compilation has twenty authors, each author will be required to market that particular book. Therefore, your efforts will be multiplied twenty fold. We will market the book through online sources such as Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Booksamillion.com and others. Additionally, we will send out press releases to 100 newspapers for each book we publish. Following this we will send the book out to reviewers we have an ongoing relationship with. We will use this information as blurbs in advertising.

That being said we do require certain marketing efforts from our authors. Remember it’s your book, and you must want to help in its sales. If you are not willing or unable to do so WE ARE NOT THE PUBLISHER FOR YOU!

We require you supply us with five (5) local newspapers we will send a press release to. You must also demonstrate you have the ability to help market your book. Once this book is published, the marketing will continue to be a concentrated effort. We encourage you to approach local bookstores and present the book for them to sell. Again, if you are not willing or unable to do so WE ARE NOT THE PUBLISHER FOR YOU!

We are a small publisher with limited resources for marketing. If you are not willing to market your book, we certainly are not willing to invest thousands of dollars into its production. We need to know we will have a chance of recouping our investment.

If these policies are agreeable to you, we welcome your submission.