For her latest novel, The Things We Wish Were True, Marybeth Mayhew Whalen has moved to Lake Union, which according to its website, publishes “contemporary and historical fiction, memoir, and popular nonfiction.” It sounds like it might be an imprint of one of the “big five” publishing houses: Penguin Random House, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Hachette and Simon & Schuster. But it’s an imprint of Amazon.
If you think “Amazon” is all self-publishing all the time, you might want to know about this imprint and those like it, which are all part of Amazon’s more traditional publishing arm. I had the chance to chat with Marybeth last week, to get a bit of the inside scoop:
Meg: Congratulations on the new release, Marybeth! Can you start us off with a bit about how you got to Amazon and Lake Union?
Marybeth: My book was submitted through my agent and actually went to auction. Ultimately, after talking with other authors I respect (Catherine McKenzie, Barbara Claypole White, and Camille Noe Pagan) who have published with Lake Union, I decided to go with Lake Union. They exist to apply the Amazon business model to publishing. I felt they would get me better exposure for my book than the other publishers.
Meg: And was your agent keen to do it?
Marybeth: I was reluctant to do it because it was more unknown, but my agent said talk to the writers I knew who’d moved over there to find out why they did. I am so glad she recommended I do that as it really helped me make my decision. I’m pretty sure I’m the first author my agent represents who has gone with them.
Meg: I’ve heard it said that at the big 5 it takes at least a year to get a book to market. Is the publication schedule with Amazon similar?
Marybeth: They seem quicker based on my experience. The Things We Wish Were True sold last October, and it is coming out in September. It was supposed to be earlier, but they decided to do it as a Kindle First, and they bumped it a month for that.
Meg: Are the contract process and the Amazon compensation terms similar to that of the big 5: advances and earn outs? Are the percentages given to the author similar?
Marybeth: The process and compensation are pretty comparable. You’re acquired by an editor, just like at a big 5. You get an advance which has to earn out before you receive further payments. The prices Amazon charges for their books tend to be a little lower: $10 for a paperback book rather than $15, and ebooks priced at $4.99. But the compensation percentages for the author are similar. Kindle First is a bit different, but if you’re at that point you’re so happy you don’t even care.
Meg: I saw that The Things We Wish Were True was picked for Kindle First—and quickly leapt to the #1 spot for kindle books. Congratulations! Can you tell us what Kindle First is and how it works?
Marybeth: Each of the Amazon imprints chooses one book each month to be Kindle First. It’s not something you can count on, but if your book is chosen, even before publication people who have signed up for Kindle First get an email with the offerings for that month. Among other things, Amazon Prime members can get one of the books for free. That does provide great discoverability.
Meg: I know Amazon is opening its own brick and mortar stores, and presume The Things We Wish Were True will be in them? Do they also have distribution to other stores
Marybeth: No idea about the book being in their physical stores. But as for other stores, I’m doing my launch party with some author friends who have books coming out at the same time, and we’re doing a mini-tour together at many of our beloved indie stores, including FoxTale Books in Atlanta, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, and Park Road Books (launch party). I am grateful to all of the stores who received me and this book so graciously as my love for the indies is deep and strong. (I and my She Reads partner Ariel Lawhon organize the consumer event for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance so we work with them each fall to coordinate that.) I know Amazon would like to work with independent booksellers and uses a similar distribution process for their print books to make it easy for them to carry those titles.
Meg: Your author name on this novel is slightly different from your previous novels: Marybeth Mayhew Whalen rather than Marybeth Whalen, and The Things We Wish Were True appears on a new Amazon author page rather than connected with your earlier books. Was that intentional? And if so, can you share with us why?
Marybeth: That was on purpose, because my past books were inspirational Christian fiction and this is decidedly not. This is a very different book, more mainstream fiction. This is a direction I wanted to take my writing and the name change is a courtesy to my readers so they know what they’re getting.
Meg: Does Lake Union put the same kind of emphasis on publicity as non-Amazon publishers do: pre-publication trade reviews and exposure in magazines, radio and the like?
Marybeth: They do submit to all the major review outlets. I was fortunate enough to be reviewed in Romantic Times and Library Journal. I’m not sure they seek out media exposure as heavily, but I do know they arrange some blog tours and the like.
Meg: I know the big 5 often ask authors to do a lot of publicity themselves: readings at stores, radio, and writing blog posts and short pieces for publication to time with a book release and the like. Do you still do a lot of publicity yourself?
Marybeth: They tell you you can do that if you want to, and they are happy to have you do it, but they don’t push you about it. I am still doing quite a bit (She Reads coverage, book tour, social media push, etc.) mostly because I enjoy it.
Meg: Can you tell us a bit about the advantages you find in publishing with Amazon?
Marybeth: They are applying their business principles to traditional publishing. The process is great: they send you an introductory letter telling authors exactly what is happening when, and a survey before and after publication to see if you’re pleased. They do the cover, but unlike with most publishers, the author gets input in the process and final approval. They also assign you a representative—an author liaison—to take care of whatever you need. It’s been very nice.
Meg: And any disadvantages?
Marybeth: I’m not sure I’ve gotten that far yet. I’m happy so far!
Meg: Thanks so much for sharing a glimpse into this new publishing alternative with us, Marybeth. For readers, here’s a description of The Things We Wish Were True, which goes on sale September 1:
In an idyllic small-town neighborhood, a near tragedy triggers a series of dark revelations.
From the outside, Sycamore Glen, North Carolina, might look like the perfect all-American neighborhood. But behind the white picket fences lies a web of secrets that reach from house to house.
Up and down the streets, neighbors quietly bear the weight of their own pasts—until an accident at the community pool upsets the delicate equilibrium. And when tragic circumstances compel a woman to return to Sycamore Glen after years of self-imposed banishment, the tangle of the neighbors’ intertwined lives begins to unravel.
During the course of a sweltering summer, long-buried secrets are revealed, and the neighbors learn that it’s impossible to really know those closest to us. But is it impossible to love and forgive them?
