What authors need to know: Submissions

Publishers get a lot of manuscripts submitted to them. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming for the acquisitions department. Publishers do their best to maximize an effective work flow, without overlooking great pieces of work. Authors don't necessarily care about that though; they care about getting noticed - they care about getting through the slush pile.

If it's a big publishing house, such as Random House or HarperCollins, the submission process is simple: agented or solicited submissions are the only way to get looked at. It's the easiest process for any publisher, but it also means that some really great books by unknown and unagented writers are overlooked. Thus, this process is not used by many small independent publishers.

Tasty treats & mentions

Well we couldn't be more pleased to help Linda White kick off her new series on MN Indie Publishers! This article comes at a perfect time with three books launching from our little press: Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers by Pendred Noyce, A Celtic Childhood by Bill Watkins, and Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish also by Bill Watkins.

We're making waves. Check out this article and share it everywhere!

"Though it radiates that sense of optimism and fresh outlook that only a relatively young company can, nothing about Scarletta Press is amateur. Perched in a sunny historic building on Hennepin Avenue in downtown Minneapolis, the office is a beehive of activity. Their output is sleek and their leadership is made up of industry veterans...

While the publishing world may be changing, Scarletta Press looks poised to ride that change...Some may think you’d have to be crazy to start a publishing company these days. But Scarletta Press is proving that if you take your lumps, do your homework, and know the playing field, there are still many opportunities out there. And they are doing a great job of looking ahead and moving into those new realms of possibility." Read the rest!

We're definitely proud to be a moving vehicle in this publishing industry!

Celebrate with Author Bill Watkins!

Tips: How to help out your favorite Authors!

At Scarletta Press, we can't help but push for you to love our authors. And we know there is a lot of love out there, but can you show it. Sometimes, that's all an author needs! Thanks to Lindsay Buroker, here are a few things you can do to help our authors, or any of your favorite authors!

Helping out on Amazon

Amazon is the big kahuna of book sellers, especially when it comes to ebooks, so helping an author “get found” on there can give them a big boost. You can certainly do these things on other bookstore sites as well (nothing against copying and pasting a review, for example), but Amazon tends to have more cool features to help an author get found.

Here’s the list (any one of these things can help):

The 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards Announced!

ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1

Scarletta Press is excited to announce the selection of Pamela Cory’s Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence as a finalist in the the 2011 National Indie Excellence Awards®!

Ellen Reid, President & CEO, announced the winners and finalists of the awards on May 15, 2011. In it’s fifth year running, the National Indie Excellence Awards are full of tough competition. The full list of Winners and Finalists can be found here. “Excellence is not easy to achieve and the book industry needs it more than ever…the NIEA salutes authors and publishers who make excellence a priority” says Reid (--http://www.indieexcellence.com/mediaroom.htm).

Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence has been selected as an Award-Winning Finalist in the New Fiction category of the awards. A novel that paints the Rat Pack era in a new light, this literary fiction introduces Hassie Calhoun, a lovely and talented singer trying to make it as an entertainer in 1960s Vegas. With her innocence and identity on the line, the road to stardom puts Hassie in several compromising situations. Her passions impede her dreams in a way that many women could secretly relate to.

NOTE: Pamela Cory will be appearing at BEA 2011 with Scarletta Press, booth 4633-A, and will tour the first half of June. See Pamela Cory's website for tour information by viewing the events page!

The 2011 International Book Awards Announced!

ISBN 978-0-9824584-7-1

ISBN 978-0-9830219-2-6

Scarletta Press is excited to announce the selection of Pamela Cory's Hassie Calhoun: A Las Vegas Novel of Innocence and Pendred (Penny) Noyce's Lost in Lexicon: An Adventure in Words and Numbers as finalists in the the 2011 International Book Awards (IBAs) hosted by JPX Media Group.

JPX Media Group announced the winners and finalists of the 2011 IBAs on May 11, 2011. Over 300 winners and finalists were announced in over 140 categories covering print and audio books. Awards were presented for titles published in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The full list of Winners and Finalists can be found here. "Jeffrey Keen, President and CEO of JPX Media Group, said this year’s contest yielded a large number of entries from authors and publishers around the world, which were then narrowed down to the final results." (—JPX Media Group)

Looking forward to Book Expo America

Now that it's early May, I can safely say that Scarletta employees are rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off just to make sure everything is perfect for BEA. We're setting up meetings, organizing signings and book orders, booking hotel stays, and printing so many sales/marketing materials that we might just drown in the piles of shiny press releases and bookmarks. But through all that, there are some details we'd like to share in this little blog post:

BEA 2011: May 24-26 at the Jacob K. Javitz Center in New York City

Scarletta Press Booth: #4633-A

In-booth Autographings: THURSDAY MAY 26
               Pamela Cory - Hassie Calhoun - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
               Leonard Borman - Our Jewish Robot Future - 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM

In honor of heading to BEA, dear Leonard has even made a little video inviting you to visit him:



Leonard Borman will be at BEA 2011 from Scarletta Press on Vimeo.