Books In Sync Publisher Spotlight With Sharp & Shuler Press Sharp & Shuler Press, LLC: A Boutique Press Featuring Traditional Values

Trying to get a book published can be the death of an author. Consider John Kennedy Toole, who wrotewhat he believed was a fine novel entitled A Confederacy of Dunces. After numerous publishersrejected his manuscript, he became so distraught that he committed suicide in 1969 at the age of 32.After his death, his mother took up his quest with a vengeance and finally got his book published in1980. The following year, Toole was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.Was his book any better in 1981 than it had been in 1969? No. But in the world of publishing, even greatmanuscripts face almost insurmountable odds. Only three manuscripts out of every ten thousandsubmitted will be published and only ten percent of those will actually earn enough money to cover thecost of publication.Publishers are no longer searching for fine literature but focus more on "celebrity authors" they feel willgenerate greater profits for them. For an unknown author, publishers impose narrow guidelines that canstifle creativity. Publishers insist that writing be tight and sparse, leaving no room for the beauty of words or the delightful journey through a masterfully constructed sentence or paragraph. The current

demand is for more “white space”,

so readers will not be intimidated by the written word. As shockingas it may sound, the average novel is written on the level of a seventh or eighth grade reader. It seemsunlikely that Jane Austen would find a publisher today.It is almost impossible to make a living as an author, even an author who fits into the box of the largepublishing houses. As a result, many are choosing to abandon the rigors of wasted years chasingestablished publishers for the freedom of controlling their own manuscripts and having more time todevote to their art.At Sharp & Shuler Press, we have chosen to join the digital publishing revolution and enjoy the processof connecting with discerning readers who welcome the challenge of new words and a complex sentencenow and again. Our mission as a niche press is to offer a limited but varied selection of quality writingsto uplift the spirit and honor God.Sharp & Shuler Press was recently established to take advantage of the digital publishing revolution sothat our authors have more time to devote to their art. They also have the opportunity of connecting with

discerning readers who are tired of “celebrity” and fad books. Our mission as a niche press is to offer a

limited but varied selection of quality writings to uplift the spirit and honor God.Whether you are an avid reader or an author seeking a publisher and books that uplift the spirit andhonor God please visit Sharp & Shuler Presshttp://www.sharpandshulerpress.com

******************************************Q: What makes you proud to offer publishing services to authors?A:

At this time, we are offering publishing services to a select few authors whom we have alreadyidentified. As we become more experienced in the publishing process, we hope to add selected authorswho fit with our mission.

Q: What was the primary reason that you choose to become the publisher of your (WandaHerring) own books verses an established publisher?A:

After years of submitting manuscripts and getting nothing but preprinted rejection notices, it wasclear all of my research of publishers and their criteria had been a waste of time. I decided I could do itmyself and control my own work.

Q: What makes your publishing services stand out from the other publishers?A:

Every book we publish must meet the criteria of honoring God and uplifting the spirit. We want ourreaders to feel enriched by reading our books.

Q: What genres do you hope to publish most?A:

With 3 genres in our catalog so far, we have made a good start of offering a variety to appeal to morereaders. In the future, we hope to include others genres such as devotional books, historical books, etc.

Q: What has been the most rewarding experienced so far as a publisher?A:

Getting positive feedback from and readers, and finding how cooperative people are in helping usthrough the publishing process.

Q: What has been the most negative experience so far as a publisher?A:

I would not call it negative, but it has been a challenge to stay focused on what we want toaccomplish and not get distracted by opportunities outside our mission.

Q: What one positive piece of advice would you give to authors seeking a publisher?A:

Decide why you want to be published. If it is important to you to be published by a recognizedpublishing house, they are easy to identify. On the other hand, if you simply want to share your work with readers, search out small publishers or take the big leap and self publish.

Please tell us the book title(s) in your catalog so far:

Down the Chicken Foot Road, Truffle-One Special Bunny, Beneath the Orange and Mango Trees.

Please tell us the book genres in your catalog so far:A:

Fiction, Poetry and Children’s books