# TCK Publishing - Updated and Improved No-Fee Publisher with 50% Royalties



## tcorsonk (Dec 8, 2012)

Hello again! We're TCK Publishing, an independent press for independent authors.










We have made some big changes and improvements to our publishing model and business since our last post, and we would love to hear what you think.

TCK Publishing has been learning and growing along with our authors over the last few years. We're constantly trying to add more value to our authors so they can make the most out of their writing careers, and that means changing how we operate.

We'd like to share those changes with you so you can decide if partnering with TCK is the right move for you.

*TCK is now a traditional untraditional publisher.*

We don't charge fees to publish books, and we provide developmental editing, copy editing, proofreading, cover design, layout, production, printing, fulfillment, and marketing.

We pay 50% gross royalties. In other words, 50% of any money we receive from the author's book sales or licensing revenue gets paid to the author. A full and current explanation of our royalty structure and how they're calculated can be seen at TCK Publishing Royalties - TCK Publishing

For 50% royalties, you get a dedicated, professional editor who will help you revise your manuscript and make the most of your book, professional cover and layout, and book production services. When it's published, your book will be available worldwide through the most popular print and eBook sales and distribution venues.

*Most importantly, we help you market your book*, which is the biggest hurdle for most independent authors.

As part of your publishing deal, we help you identify your unique value proposition and how you can best leverage your expertise and skills to market your book. We help you set up your author website and begin building your email list and platform (if you don't want to learn how to deal with all that tech stuff, we'll just set it up for you). And we develop a list of interested reviewers who we send copies of your book to, generating interest and word of mouth.

*Here's what we'll do to help market your books:*

• Walk you through our detailed market research process, so you understand exactly who your target readers are and what makes them want to buy books like yours
• Create a highly targeted list of the top reviewers who have previously reviewed similar books to yours, and then create a custom outreach campaign and send them a free copy of your book for review
• Pay to promote your book on the top book promotion sites in your genre
• Create, split-test, and pay for Amazon book ads and other online ads that help get the word out to your ideal readers
• Connect you with top authors, bloggers, podcasters, and social media influencers in your market, so you can build relationships and buzz for your work
• Submit your ARC to industry review sites (Publishers Weekly, Midwest Book Review, Kirkus, etc.)
• Run online contests and book giveaways to help you build your email list and fan base even faster
• Connect you with relevant media requests from HARO, SourceBottle, PitchRate and more
• Promote your book to our email list of interested readers
• And more (we're constantly testing out new book marketing strategies to see what works)

Some of these services are offered by a traditional corporate publisher, but at TCK, you get a personal touch, engaged feedback, and more control over your work than with a faceless corporation. You retain all rights to your work instead of signing them over to someone else. You get to help create your perfect cover. You get to be as involved, or hands-off, as makes sense for you.

We want you to be totally happy with your final book, and that means being partners instead of dictating everything for you... or making you do it all yourself when you'd rather be writing.

We'd love to learn more about you and your author career.

Let us know if you have any questions, or check out our FAQ at Publishing FAQ - TCK Publishing

You can see our submission guidelines at Submission Guidelines - TCK Publishing

We can't wait to hear from you and help you on your publishing journey!

*August 5, 2021 Update:* We updated this post to clarify the recent updates to our royalty structure (from 50% net royalties to 50% gross royalties).


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## David VanDyke (Jan 3, 2014)

Has anyone used TCK or have any experience with them?


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## Sailor Stone (Feb 23, 2015)

At first glance it looks interesting, possibly even good...but then I was pounding the table for Pronoun, so what do I know?


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

I recommend checking out the the ranks of any publisher/provider who posts here.


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

I took a quick look. I'm not seeing any obvious red flags on the site. I looked at some of the books, and here's what I noticed:

Books have good covers, decent number of reviews, decent blurbs, etc.
Book represent a variety of genres.
Some books are only available in ebook form, others in ebook and paperback, and others in ebook, paperback, and audio. I'm not sure why availability varies.
Despite the emphasis on the site about the wide array of distribution channels, at least some of the books are enrolled in KU, so the ebook would be limited to Amazon.
None of the books have stellar ranks, but I couldn't find any that were new releases. The most recent I spotted were almost a year old. Ranks varied from 50,000 to 1,000,000. It would be a better measure if I had been able to find a new release.

It's rare for a trad publisher to enroll books in Select, but I have seen it occasionally.

Assuming the site is accurate, and the publisher does cover all expenses, it appears that authors get good value for covers. I didn't have time to check editing. I also can't judge marketing without seeing some more recent books. I will say the authors that get audio books produced for them are saving a lot of money on that.

If I were looking for a trad publisher, I might further investigate this one. As I said, I'm not seeing any definite red flags, but I'd need more information in some areas.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Monique said:


> I recommend checking out the the ranks of any publisher/provider who posts here.


Seconded. Things sound good in theory, but can they sell your books better than you? Can they have better editing than you can hire, better cover designers? Is what you lose in royalties and control worth what you receive after they get their cut?


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## Guest (Nov 8, 2017)

tcorsonk said:


> *TCK is now a traditional untraditional publisher.*


*sigh* Red flag doublespeak. Either you are a publisher or a vendor. I am always suspicious of publishers that "sell" themselves on being some new paradigm nonsense because the majority of the time their "new paradigm" has no grounding in reality.



> Well, we don't charge fees for the publishing process, and we handle your editing, cover design, layout, production, printing, fulfillment, and marketing.


That is your actual job description as a publisher, not a bonus.



> Better still, we split royalties 50/50 with our authors, which is far, far better than most traditional presses, where authors only keep 8-10% of their list price!


Publishers do not "split royalties." They pay royalties. You are paying royalties of 50% on your net receipts. Trade publishers generally pay 8-10 percent on the LIST PRICE. If you are paying on net instead of list, then your royalty percentage is expected to be higher. Nothing shiny here. That is the normal industry expectation. Royalties paid on net should always be at a higher percentage than royalties paid on list.



> For that 50/50 split, you get a dedicated, professional editor who will help you revise your manuscript and make the most of your book, professional cover and layout, and book production services. When it's published, your book will be available worldwide through the most popular print and eBook sales and distribution venues.


Again, this is the most basic function of a publisher. THIS IS THE BASIC JOB DESCRIPTION!



> We also offer premium services...
> 
> 
> > Then you are a vanity press and not a publisher. Real publishers don't charge their authors. *Ever.* There is a fundamental conflict of interests if you are charging your authors for add-on services. If you want to offer services, offer services. If you want to be a publisher, be a publisher. But the second you are charging your own authors for "premium" services, you are engaging in an ethical conflict of interests. And authors should be very mindful that this IS a conflict of interests.


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## tcorsonk (Dec 8, 2012)

Bill Hiatt said:


> None of the books have stellar ranks, but I couldn't find any that were new releases. The most recent I spotted were almost a year old. Ranks varied from 50,000 to 1,000,000. It would be a better measure if I had been able to find a new release.


Hi Bill,

Thanks for your detailed feedback!

You can see a list of some of our published titles at https://www.tckpublishing.com/published-books/

You can see some of our upcoming and most recent releases in order of publication date here: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_st_date-desc-rank?keywords=tck+publishing&fst=p90x%3A1&rh=n%3A133140011%2Ck%3Atck+publishing&qid=1510245909&sort=date-desc-rank

This book is one of our best sellers with over 75,000+ sales in English: https://www.amazon.com/Unlimited-Memory-Advanced-Strategies-Productive-ebook/dp/B00I3QS1XQ/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1510245974&sr=1-4&keywords=unlimited+memory



Bards and Sages (Julie) said:



> *sigh* Red flag doublespeak. Either you are a publisher or a vendor. I am always suspicious of publishers that "sell" themselves on being some new paradigm nonsense because the majority of the time their "new paradigm" has no grounding in reality.
> That is your actual job description as a publisher, not a bonus.


Hi Julie,

It's not doublespeak. We are a traditional publisher. We just do things differently than most other traditional publishers. For example, we actually respond to query letters, emails, and even forum posts like this because we believe authors deserve to have their voices heard and get feedback (including authors we don't choose to work with).



> Publishers do not "split royalties." They pay royalties. You are paying royalties of 50% on your net receipts. Trade publishers generally pay 8-10 percent on the LIST PRICE. If you are paying on net instead of list, then your royalty percentage is expected to be higher. Nothing shiny here. That is the normal industry expectation. Royalties paid on net should always be at a higher percentage than royalties paid on list.


Yes, we do pay 50% net royalties on ebooks, print books, and audiobooks. The net is calculated based on the revenue we actually receive from each sale, minus our printing and fulfillment costs.

I understand that an 8% or 10% cover price royalty is easier to calculate and more straightforward in theory. In theory, it sounds great. In practice, it allows publishers to pay authors peanuts.

For example, our client Kevin Horsley currently earns 50% net royalties on all sales, which means he gets $4.44 per sale of the paperback version of Unlimited Memory (retail price is $19.99). That's equivalent to a 21-22% cover royalty. Under an 8% cover price royalty scheme, he would only be earning $1.60 per sale.

*The difference in our royalty structure has helped Kevin earn an extra $34,236.20 to date in royalties that he would have been denied with an 8% cover price royalty.*

And that's just for print sales. Paying 50% net royalties on eBooks and audiobooks means authors are earning significantly more on digital sales than what most traditional publishers pay.



> We also offer premium services...
> 
> 
> > Then you are a vanity press and not a publisher. Real publishers don't charge their authors. *Ever.* There is a fundamental conflict of interests if you are charging your authors for add-on services. If you want to offer services, offer services. If you want to be a publisher, be a publisher. But the second you are charging your own authors for "premium" services, you are engaging in an ethical conflict of interests. And authors should be very mindful that this IS a conflict of interests.


We do not charge our authors anything for our premium services. They're "premium" because they go way above and beyond what other publishers offer, and they often involve us doing hands-on consulting and/or coaching work for the author and their business. This is usually the kind of work that publishers avoid like the plague and "book marketing gurus" offer at the "BUY IT TODAY AND GET A MASSIVE DISCOUNT" price of $10,000 or more.

For example, some of our clients want to create Facebook Ad campaigns and other PPC ads to help them build their email list. Since we have extensive experience with pay-per-click (PPC) ads, our team can set up the author's campaigns, write copy, design the creative and images, split test them, optimize them, and make sure the author is getting a great ROI on their PPC marketing budget. This saves the author a lot of time and money.

Some clients already have PPC ad campaigns running, and our team can review them and help optimize them.

Other consulting services we have provided free to our clients include landing page split testing, designing and building marketing funnels, creating strategies and systems for social media marketing, video marketing, and podcasting.

For all of these premium services, we charge our authors the outrageous price of $0.

We've posted much more detailed information about our marketing services on our FAQ page at https://www.tckpublishing.com/publishing-faq/

I hope that helps clarify things for you!

If you have any other questions or feedback, we would love to hear it.


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## Vidya (Feb 14, 2012)

“We also offer premium services on top of these basics for authors who want to invest in advertising with Facebook Ads and other ad platforms,”

“authors who want to invest in advertising” makes it sound like the authors have to pay for Facebook Ads and other ads. So do you pay or does the author pay? Can you please specify which ads you pay for and which you expect the author to pay for?

Because if YOU pay for expensive FB ads, I think a lot of authors would be thrilled to be accepted by you. However if what you’re saying is the author has to pay, well, that’s a lot less attractive.

Why do you pay for Amazon ads but not for FB ads? Is it because FB ads are more expensive or because they’re more risky, with lesser chance of succeeding?

I’m just asking for some clarification here. Thanks!


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## Vidya (Feb 14, 2012)

I've now read your Publishing FAQ at https://www.tckpublishing.com/publishing-faq/

you say:

"We provide personalized coaching to help you with every part of your career from writing to marketing and beyond."

what exactly does this mean? You coach writers through writing too? Does that mean you coach them through writing a book, giving regular feedback and critiques?


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## Awasin (Aug 7, 2015)

TCK stands for Tom Corson-Knowles, I believe.  

Y'all know who he is if you've been paying any kind of attention.


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

You've told us all why you're better than traditional publishing; now tell us why you are better than indie publishing.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

I would advise everybody here to stay well away from TCK Publishing. I don't trust Tom Corson Knowles whatsoever.

He has been running some version of this publishing company since at least 2014. Previously it was a double-dipping arrangement where he would take half your royalties AND you would pay him $500 up front. And if you couldn't afford the $500 he would take 75% of your royalties.

See here:

Avoid.
_
Edited. PM me if you have any questions.
Evenstar, Moderator_


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## Philip Gibson (Nov 18, 2013)

Seems like the money you would spend on marketing (Amazon ads, etc. etc.) would make it very expensive for you.  How are you able to absorb that cost and turn a profit if you don't curate submissions for quality, audience appeal, potential sales, etc?

Philip


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## Sailor Stone (Feb 23, 2015)

dgaughran said:


> I would advise everybody here to stay well away from TCK Publishing. I don't trust Tom Corson Knowles whatsoever.
> 
> He has been running some version of this publishing company since at least 2014. Previously it was a double-dipping arrangement where he would take half your royalties AND you would pay him $500 up front. And if you couldn't afford the $500 he would take 75% of your royalties.
> 
> ...


I didn't listen to you regarding Pronoun and look what that got me; I'm still working on my transfer away from them and that's most all of what I've been doing for the past week...so I think I might take your advice here and keep moving along and not consider TCK any further. 
Going with a combo of direct to Google, Kobo, and Amazon, and then D2D for Nook, IBooks and the rest of the vendors sounds like the new way forward.
Thanks!

_Edited quoted post. Evenstar, Moderator_


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## Guest (Nov 14, 2017)

I'm disappointed by the warnings to stay away because I was (for a moment there) thinking how refreshing it was for a company to offer a hybridisation of trad and Indy publishing. Whilst I liked the blurb, the layout of the site, I could at least see that the publisher was pushing training courses and all kinds of extras, but didn't see the pricetag for all of this. Was it all within the 50/50 of them doing all the work for free if you signed your books up to them?  I had even got to the point of discussing with my wife the possibility of putting a book on their system to 'test the water' and here I am now, back to working the streets on my own again. {Sigh!}


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Oh LOL, so I decided to dig into the archives on this. A few years ago Tom was sending out spam, pretending to be "Susannah" complete with a stock photo of a young blonde.

Flirtatious messages like this. I know a bunch of other authors got this identical message too. I thought I was special! hahahahaha



> Is it possible to email you regarding guest posting? I got distracted liking you on FB and couldn't stay focused long enough to find your contact info on your blog page.
> 
> Thanks
> Susannah M. Cyrus
> ...


"I got distracted liking you on Facebook..."

Hilarious.

I remember this being the tip of the iceberg. Keep well away.

(And maybe consider that legit publishers don't usually have to come to forums touting for business.)

_edited; PM if you have questions -- Ann_


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## Guest (Nov 14, 2017)

dgaughran said:


> (And maybe consider that legit publishers don't usually have to come to forums touting for business.)


Well, there is always this. I mean, I'm not even actively accepting submissions for full-length novels and my inbox always has queries and submissions in it (despite the fact that I have a brutally honest page on my site designed to dissuade people from sending submissions!)


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> Well, there is always this. I mean, I'm not even actively accepting submissions for full-length novels and my inbox always has queries and submissions in it (despite the fact that I have a brutally honest page on my site designed to dissuade people from sending submissions!)


I remember that page! It is very effectively worded. It's amazing people don't get the message.


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## Taking my troll a$$ outta here (Apr 8, 2013)

dgaughran said:


> I would advise everybody here to stay well away from TCK Publishing. I don't trust Tom Corson Knowles whatsoever.
> 
> He has been running some version of this publishing company since at least 2014. Previously it was a double-dipping arrangement where he would take half your royalties AND you would pay him $500 up front. And if you couldn't afford the $500 he would take 75% of your royalties.
> 
> ...


Yes, this ^^. Aside from that, if a _publisher_ is touting himself as "#1 Amazon Bestselling Author," (sorry, it's great to hit #1 on Amazon charts, but legitimate publishers are not touting the title "#1 Amazon Bestselling Author" like, ever), running a "Reader's Choice Awards" contest, and also sells Author "Courses", that's not someone to risk getting in bed with.

_
Editing quoted post. Evenstar, Moderator_


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## tcorsonk (Dec 8, 2012)

Mark Gardner said:


> What kind of advances do you offer?


We don't offer advances right now.


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## tcorsonk (Dec 8, 2012)

Vidya said:


> "We also offer premium services on top of these basics for authors who want to invest in advertising with Facebook Ads and other ad platforms,"
> 
> "authors who want to invest in advertising" makes it sound like the authors have to pay for Facebook Ads and other ads. So do you pay or does the author pay? Can you please specify which ads you pay for and which you expect the author to pay for?
> 
> ...


We do pay for Facebook ads when we're promoting a client's book directly.

We don't pay for Facebook ads when a client wants us to help them use Facebook ads to 1) build their email list (with no guarantee of book sales) or 2) sell more of their own products and services on their website (we don't take a share of our client's earnings from their business or other products).

Does that help clarify?


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## tcorsonk (Dec 8, 2012)

Vidya said:


> I've now read your Publishing FAQ at https://www.tckpublishing.com/publishing-faq/
> 
> you say:
> 
> ...


Yes, we sometimes coach clients through the writing process, but it's not very common because most of our clients are already writing regularly and don't need coaching to write their next book. Most of the feedback on their writing comes from our editors during the editing process.


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2017)

Tom

I admit I was a little bit interested until I read what others were posting. I'm not saying they convinced me otherwise, but I was 'thinking' there was room for doubt. So, I looked around your website in depth and I saw that your reputation that you allocate to yourself is built mostly around short 'self help' books that are often 99 cents or near and these are 99% non-fiction (although some of the titles imply 'fiction inside'). I know from previous threads that these have probably been 'hyped' to get to No.1 and that there is no author mileage in these books, as far as I can see.

When I say there is no 'author mileage' I mean that, for me as an SF writer (reasonably successful on my own merit) there is nothing for me to gain by being linked to a publisher that grows its book sales on the back of hype, dubious titles and questionable content. I'm also pretty persuaded by your website that you predominantly 'sell' and 'market' courses on how to do things (self help, again).

Whilst I 'see' cloned pages of your commitment to all the different fictional genres, what I don't see is any track record of working with authors in these genres. I don't see 'success stories' that I can validate and I'm not hearing from any authors that have used your services. As far as SF is concerned there are five titles, of which four are SF romance and mostly from the same author. None of them look like 'bestsellers' to me.

What I'm trying to say here, Tom, is that your website is slick, your blurb is catchy and if people don't look carefully they might well think you know what you're doing. However, I'm going to add my voice to the others on here and say I'm not about to trust my reputation as a writer to your publishing machine because I see nothing in your website that tells me you can do anything for me.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Let's call this what it is, people: a vanity press.

*a publisher who has to approach writers
*charges fees to publish, or has previously done so
*double dips by taking half the royalties too
*upsells courses and FB ads and other services

Why anyone would do business with someone who ticks all those books is beyond me.

_edited; PM if you have questions -- Ann_


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## Book Cat (Jan 3, 2016)

I've watched Tom's You Tube channel for a number of years, and listened to his podcast from time to time. Other than the monotone he speaks in, I haven't heard anything fishy from him. He has lots of free stuff out there, videos, blog posts etc to help people, and I don't recall him then trying to upsell stuff with them. They are just free stuff.

I looked in depth into his publishing website about 5 months ago, and thought it no different to many other small presses. Unless all small presses are scammy?

I am not trying to take sides on this. TCK might be somehow scamming people, but if he was, I wonder how he gets so many big-name indies on his podcast or recommending him?

I'm neutral on this. I haven't personally seen any of this scammy stuff, or heard people claiming to be scammed by him, but I guess one day it will catch up with him if he is being scammy.

To be honest, I am kinda sick of all these "big name" authors selling their expensive courses and claiming to be gurus. Iain Rob Wright made a free 50 hour course that covers much of the same stuff these "gurus" cover.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

The fact is that TCK Publishing is/was a pay-to-play publisher which both took half your royalties and charged an upfront fee AND upsold courses and additional services to its writers and writers in general. I'm concerned with that aspect of his business, how he pitches it to writers (you'll see him variously describe his company as a small press, an indie publisher, a mass-market trade publisher, or a self-publishing provider depending on who he is speaking with). I'm also concerned that he has given himself the title of "Editor" in the past without appearing to have the relevant experience or qualifications (happy to be corrected on that, of course).

As for how somebody engaged in questionable practices could get big names on their podcast or whatever I refer you to the case of Michael Hyatt.

The difference between TCK Publishing and a small press is that TCK publishing doesn't pay advances - it does the opposite, it charges writers. It's aim is more to sell things to writers than to sell its books to readers - you can see the clear focus of the website: clickbaity writing advice, courses for writers, services for writers, tools, etc. Not info on their writers for bookstore owners or browsing readers.

Look at a small press website, then look at TCK and tell me you can't see a difference.

_edited; PM if you have questions -- Ann_


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

> (And maybe consider that legit publishers don't usually have to come to forums touting for business.)


This alone should send up red flags for people. It did for me, as well as the "update" that writers no longer had to pay upfront to publish with this "traditional" press. I'm glad Julie and David have weighed in on this thread. It struck me as odd, but I didn't have the time to research or rebut anything that had been posted.

Tobias, you have everything you need right here on this forum to up your game, you don't need some "indie" press to do any of it for you. Not that there is anything as an indie press. You either work the way traditional publishing houses work, you're a small press (who often are referred to as indie, but aren't), or you're a vanity press. I think it's pretty clear which we're dealing with here.

And Julie, I believe those who submit to you in spite of that page either don't read it, or think they are a unique exception to your rules.


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## Guest (Nov 16, 2017)

Hmmh! I might of come off as a tad naive in that post, but it was intentional (a bit snarky, really). Whilst I 'would' consider going the traditional route if the situation merited it, my post was deliberately couched to show that anyone without the experience or 'nouse' to know better could still, with a little bit of sleuthing and a critical eye, recognise the severe limitations of this site's offer. 

Still, I appreciate the sentiments she-la-ti-da, and it is after all, why I'm here - to give and receive.


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## tcorsonk (Dec 8, 2012)

Doglover said:


> You've told us all why you're better than traditional publishing; now tell us why you are better than indie publishing.


We're not better for every author. There are many publishing options, and a lot of authors love indie publishing and are incredibly successful with it. For authors who don't want to self-publish or haven't achieved their financial goals with self-publishing, there are definitely benefits to working with us.

There are lots of publishing options out there, and I think authors would be best served by doing their research and choosing the option(s) that best fit the vision you have for your career. If you just want to write a few novels a year and not worry about market research, cover design, formatting, layout, distribution, managing your team of contractors, marketing, promotion, etc., then self-publishing is probably not going to fit what you're looking for.

If you're already self-publishing and you love all the aspects of the publishing business, then I think you should probably keep doing what you're doing.

If you want to focus more of your time, energy, and effort on writing and have a publisher who will help you every step of the way and manage a lot of the publishing and marketing work for you, then it might be a good fit to work with us.



dgaughran said:


> I would advise everybody here to stay well away from TCK Publishing. I don't trust Tom Corson Knowles whatsoever.
> 
> He has been running some version of this publishing company since at least 2014. Previously it was a double-dipping arrangement where he would take half your royalties AND you would pay him $500 up front. And if you couldn't afford the $500 he would take 75% of your royalties.
> 
> ...


Actually, I started TCK Publishing in 2011 (to self-publish my own books) and we had our first publishing clients in 2012.

Yes, I used to charge $500 for new clients because I was new to the publishing industry and I had no idea what I was doing. I learned my lesson, and we don't charge any fees anymore.

Your allegations of me approaching men on Facebook to flirt with them are false and absurd, but that sounds like a great story for a novel someday.



dgaughran said:


> A few years ago Tom was sending out spam, pretending to be "Susannah" complete with a stock photo of a young blonde.


Susannah Cyrus is a real woman who worked at TCK Publishing for two months before she left the company. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not.


dgaughran said:


> (And maybe consider that legit publishers don't usually have to come to forums touting for business.)


The fact that we are here on a forum having a friendly conversation with authors does not make our company or our team illegitimate.



Philip Gibson said:


> Seems like the money you would spend on marketing (Amazon ads, etc. etc.) would make it very expensive for you. How are you able to absorb that cost and turn a profit if you don't curate submissions for quality, audience appeal, potential sales, etc?
> 
> Philip


Hi Philip,

Yes, running a traditional publishing company that pays 50% net royalties is very expensive. I initially invested my own profits from my self-published books. Today, the company is profitable because of the success of our clients' books. We spend a lot of money on marketing, but we earn back more than we spend from book sales, foreign rights deals, and other revenue streams.

We do, in fact, curate submissions - we accept less than 5% of books that are submitted to us. But we also provide resources, tips, suggestions, and feedback to authors to help them improve their writing and encourage them to resubmit after they revise their manuscripts. Our website provides even more information on how authors can improve their writing skills, develop their professional writing career, and even self-publish on their own.

Yes, we want people to publish with us. Yes, we make money from profit-sharing when we publish a book. No, we don't think that publishing with us is the only way to go. The "right" method differs for every author and every book, and we want to help authors find the right path for them, even if that's not with us. That's one of the reasons we're able to be selective with the books we publish: we're also giving authors the tools to publish in other ways.



TobiasRoote said:


> I'm disappointed by the warnings to stay away because I was (for a moment there) thinking how refreshing it was for a company to offer a hybridisation of trad and Indy publishing. Whilst I liked the blurb, the layout of the site, I could at least see that the publisher was pushing training courses and all kinds of extras, but didn't see the pricetag for all of this. Was it all within the 50/50 of them doing all the work for free if you signed your books up to them? I had even got to the point of discussing with my wife the possibility of putting a book on their system to 'test the water' and here I am now, back to working the streets on my own again. {Sigh!}


Hi Tobias,

We don't sell training courses to our publishing clients. Our clients get free access to all of our courses, trainings, and coaching. We don't sell any extras or charge any fees for publishing clients.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

TobiasRoote said:


> Hmmh! I might of come off as a tad naive in that post, but it was intentional (a bit snarky, really). Whilst I 'would' consider going the traditional route if the situation merited it, my post was deliberately couched to show that anyone without the experience or *'nouse'* to know better could still, with a little bit of sleuthing and a critical eye, recognise the severe limitations of this site's offer.


Lovely to see that word again. My mother was fond of telling me: 'use your nouse'.  I never hear it used anymore .


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## tcorsonk (Dec 8, 2012)

dgaughran said:


> TCK publishing doesn't pay advances - it does the opposite, it charges writers.


We don't charge fees to publish books. We pay 50% net royalties. We are not a vanity press.



Mark Gardner said:


> The first thing that any author needs to remember is that the money should ALWAYS flow from the publisher to the author, never the other way around.


The money always flows from the publisher to the author.



Mark Gardner said:


> The second thing that an author needs to consider is that when a publisher is not willing to make an investment in the author (advances against royalties) then they have no incentive to recoup that money.


We earn royalties on book sales, so we clearly have an incentive to sell books.

We pay for editing, cover design, eBook formatting, print layout and production, audiobook narration and production, marketing, and promotion. I'd say that's a pretty big investment, and that we obviously have an incentive to sell books to earn back our investment.



Mark Gardner said:


> The third thing an author should consider is the positioning and cover of the publisher's existing portfolio. Is their portfolio dominated by one or two authors? If so, then they're likely a group of indie authors that decided to branch out and publish other people's work. Are all their covers great quality that match your genre? If it's a bunch of computer generated people doing things, then they're probably not investing too much in your cover. Absolutely awesome genre covers can be had for less than $100. Are their books older than 90 days in the 1 - 2 _million_ rank, or are they under 100k? A book with low to moderate success should stay in the 30k - 90k rank after the 30- & 90- day cliffs. If all their books are worse than 250k, then they're probably setting and forgetting, relying on passive returns.


We work with many authors and we have dozens of books with Kindle and/or print Amazon Best Seller Rankings of 100k or less.

You can take a look for yourself at https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_2?fst=p90x%3A1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atck+publishing&page=2&keywords=tck+publishing&ie=UTF8&qid=1510947930



Mark Gardner said:


> The fourth thing an author should consider is the publisher's presence. Do they have contacts in the area that you live? Can they get you a hotel room and a booth at a comicon? Can they get you into your local library for a reading and autograph session? What about book stores? (Passive sales of POD paperbacks through expanded distribution don't count.) Are their prices for author copies discounted sufficiently? (Wholesale pricing should be a minimum of 30% off the retail price, and author copies should have even deeper discounts.) Do they price their products reasonably? Are their prices low enough to be competitive, but high enough to provide a decent royalty? What is their reputation?


Authors can order copies of their books at a 65% discount off the retail price. Our clients have done book signings at local libraries and bookstores, and we can help with that process (Even though book signings really don't sell many books these days).

Since we now have literary agents pitching us books and have signed deals with agented authors, I would say our reputation is pretty good. We have also been invited to take pitches alongside other small presses and literary agents at some of the largest writer's conferences in the US like the Willamette Writers Conference.



Mark Gardner said:


> I know from being a long time denizen of kBoards that all the services required for indie publishing can be had for $1000 - $3000. (Editing, cover design, paperback and ebook formatting, proofreading.) Since publishing is a *business*, we can assume that they want to operate on the low end of that scale to recoup their cost as fast as possible. I know (from personal experience and the experiences shared by indie authors here on kBoards) that a book with low to moderate success can make $200 - $500 a month in royalties. Why wouldn't they offer an advance against royalties? A publisher with even a rudimentary understanding of marketing and how indie publishing works should be able to recoup their initial costs in 90 to 180 days or less, _including_ an advance of $250 - $1500.


We don't offer advances because we pay 50% net royalties.

If you want an advance, you can work with a publisher that pays 8-10% list price royalties.

If you want to earn a better share of the profits from your book, you can work with us.

I would be more than happy to offer publishing deals at 8-10% list royalties and pay advances because we would earn even more profits, but it would not be better for authors (as explained in detail before in my post on royalty calculations).

If you're reading this post and you want an advance on your book and are willing to take a measly 8-10% list price royalty, I'll be more than happy to make an exception for you and keep more of the profits (assuming our editors accept your submission).



Mark Gardner said:


> Let's face it, in small presses and big five publishing, the author rarely sees any money after the initial advance. A book is essentially dead in 180 days. They'll still earn passively, but the earnings curve reduces rapidly at the 30, 90, & 180 day data points. Traditional publishers want their ROI in 90 days or less. If a small press is unwilling to offer an advance, then you're probably better off doing it yourself and reaping _all_ the rewards and royalties.


You're right. Most publishers try to get an ROI in 90 days or less and then move on to the next book. We don't work that way. Our motto is "never stop promoting a good book."

No matter where they publish, an author usually doesn't earn out the advance and therefore never sees another penny in royalties. That just creates bad incentives for authors and publishers.

Are you really motivated to sell copies of one of your older books for which you're not going to earn royalties because you never came close to earning out your advance? Even if you are motivated, *you're not being incentivized to sell books.*

*Typical trade publishers are also not incentivized to sell your book after the first 90 days* because their focus is still on retail distribution in bookstores and big box retailers. After your book is released, they forget all about it because they need to get their next book moving off the shelf in retail stores. Not only does that create bad incentives for authors and publishers, it's the same system that's responsible for 600 million printed books being trashed/recycled without ever being read in the US each year.

Our incentive is to keep our books selling as long as possible-and this benefits our authors because they receive 50% net in an ongoing stream of royalties instead of just a couple hundred bucks up front.

We're looking to help authors build sustainable careers, not to make a quick buck and then forget them. We only profit when the books we publish sell well. We're in the same boat with our authors, and that means we're all working together to achieve the same goal: to get your books into the hands of more happy readers.

We are incentivized to keep as many of our books as possible selling as well for as long as possible, whether the book was released 5 years ago or 5 days ago. Doesn't that make a lot more sense than only promoting a book if it's brand new?

You can see a case study of one of our books with 80,000+ copies sold that highlights our continued emphasis on marketing books months and even years after release at https://www.tckpublishing.com/how-we-sold-50000-books-without-a-marketing-budget/


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## Evenstar (Jan 26, 2013)

There have been reports, and while I applaud everyone in general for suggesting due diligence in your business dealings, I think the tone could be better please.

On a more personal note:
I haven't seen this thread until today, and I had no idea that TCK had a publishing arm (the name should have given me a clue though, right?) But I'm actually on the mailing list (can't remember why), and I get nothing but chatty and informative emails from TCK, some of which I click links in to read more in article format on the website. I've found loads of interesting articles to read there over the last few months and don't feel remotely spammed. I noticed that are courses, which are upsold, but never aggressively.
Anyway, that's just an opinion from someone who has had some interaction with the site and has found no beef with it to date. I do understand that you are all more concerned by the publisher side of this business, and I have no idea on how good/bad their business practices are. But I feel that it's only fair to point out that my personal experience has been pleasant thus far.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Hi, tcorsonk. Looks like you've already encountered our baptism by fire, so the official welcome is probably unnecessary. Placing our boilerplate here nonetheless so that you are aware of our rules for vendor threads. Apologies for not having done this back in May.

You're welcome to promote your business and website here in the Writers' Cafe.

Now that you have an official thread, you'll want to add your listing to our Yellow Pages, found here: http://www.kboards.com/yp/. The listing is free to KB members and is completely self-service; you can add and edit your listing from the page. More information on our Yellow Pages listing can be found here.

In your thread here, we ask that the same basic rules be followed as we have for authors in the Book Bazaar: you may have this one thread about your service and must post to it rather than start a new thread each time. New threads about the service will be removed. Please bookmark this thread so that you can find it again when you want to post. You may not make back-to-back posts to the thread within seven days. If someone responds (as I'm doing with this post), you may reply to them, but otherwise you must wait seven days. Please note that very short or (one- or two-word) posts with no meaningful information are discouraged and may be deleted at the moderators' discretion. Lastly, your posts and images will need to meet our "forum decorum" guidelines, which is the case for every member.

Note that members are allowed to provide civil and honest feedback about your service in this thread. This feedback may include criticisms as well as kudos. You may respond in a civil manner. Members may also ask questions -- about how the service works, for example, or what they will get for their money, or whether your service adheres to Amazon's terms of service.

Disputes between you and clients should be handled off-site.

Thanks,
Becca
KBoards Moderator

_(Note that this welcome does not constitute an endorsement or vetting of a service by KBoards. Members should do due diligence when considering using a service.)_


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## Nathan Elliott (May 29, 2012)

Evenstar said:


> But I feel that it's only fair to point out that my personal experience has been pleasant thus far.


I feel similarly. I have never done business with Tom, but I recall years ago I needed an obscure piece of technical info. I searched and searched and was getting nowhere until waaaaay down deep in the google results, I found that Tom had explained in a comment thread on a blog or forum somewhere. I only found out later that he had written all the kindle "Bible" books, and I assume that the research that went into those explains why he knew the answer. It occurred to me that he worked very hard to come by this knowledge, but he didn't say "Go buy my book for the answer." He gave it away without mentioning the book. A small thing, maybe, but that (and the fact the he knew the answer) impressed me and since then I have recognized his name here and there and have always found him to be an upright and pleasant person generous with his time and knowledge. I'm not looking for a publisher, but I respect Tom the person.


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## Guest (Nov 22, 2017)

Mark Gardner said:


> Because there absolutely is a market for turnkey solutions.


Just wanted to highlight this point. My day job is in contract packaging. Believe me, turnkey is a big deal. It is our primary selling point to clients. Tell us what you want, and we will figure out all the work for you. Design, sourcing, manufacturing, assembly, distribution, shipping. Because while, yes, it is entirely possible for most authors to perform all of those tasks themselves, it may not be the most cost-effective method nor the most time-efficient. Not if there is a service that already has an infrastructure in place that can handle all of that for you.

I guess where I get twitchy is when "publishers" refer to their authors as "clients." Because authors are NOT clients. Sure, accuse me of splitting hairs, but we are all WRITERS here. Word choices matter. Word choices define how we approach our relationships. There is a difference between the relationship of a service provider and a client versus a publisher and an author. And whenever I see companies try to do BOTH, it usually ends badly...for the authors. The OP says he doesn't sell services to his actual authors. Good. But what about all of the authors that submit that they DON'T publish? That is an ugly, muddy ethical area there if you are saying "We aren't accepting your book at this time, but you might be interested in this fee-based class..." or if there is even an inference of such.

And if people really need for me to explain WHY that is a problem...go take a business ethics course on conflict of interests. I'm actually required to do one once a year at work.

I know a few small publishers that do offer services and publish (Red Adept is one). But those companies have strict policies that, if you buy one of their services, they WON'T consider the book for publication. And they tell that to authors up front. Their service packages are for self-publishers. They don't want people buying services thinking that is what they have to do to get a publishing contract, and they don't want to give the appearance of impropriety or even put themselves in the position of being tempted down that road. Does the OP have that kind of policy? If yes, that should be made clear and would at least ease my mind (for what it might be worth to anyone...)


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## evanmarshall (Jan 4, 2018)

I am a literary agent specializing in popular fiction. I have recently gone to contract with TCK for two of my clients--for a young-adult novel and for three books in a thriller series. We entered into these contracts after I did extensive research on TCK and also spoke with the founder, Tom Corson-Knowles, at length. I am extremely impressed with his knowledge and his ability to publish books successfully. His contract is completely fair and comparable to the contracts of other publishers I sell to. Tom was reasonable in our negotiations and I am happy with the contracts I've obtained for my clients.

I am aware that TCK also sells courses about self-publishing. As far as I'm concerned, these are simply products this publisher offers and have no bearing on my clients' business with the company.

I am happy to be doing business with this publisher and look forward to submitting more projects.

Evan Marshall
The Evan Marshall Agency
1 Pacio Court
Roseland, NJ 07068-1121


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## Rochelleauthor (Jan 4, 2018)

I have a success story thanks to TCK Publishing. I mainly write romance novels. After I finished my first romance manuscript I couldn't find an agent. But I knew I was meant to be an author. After struggling for a few more months, I randomly listened to Tom giving a webinar. And that changed my life. Tom published my first romance novel. Since I'm a new author, he taught me how to get others to review my novel. I cried when I read my first five star review. 

I always had a million questions for Tom. He always emailed me back quickly with the answers. Tom and his team, make me work harder as a writer. I have grown in so many ways since TCK Publishing came into my life. Soon I will be publishing my next romance novel with them. It should be out in a few months. 

So if you're questioning Tom or TCK Publishing, I'm here to tell you that I LOVE working with them. As a writer, you have to put money into advertising, editors, and so much more. What his fee gives you is knowledge, as well as a million other things. And if I keep listening to Tom's words of wisdom, I know I will be a successful and profitable author. 

Warmly,
Rochelle Katzman


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Sounds legit.


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2018)

dgaughran said:


> Sounds legit.


You mean it is _not_ normal for two different people, on the same day and within a short time of each other, to create new accounts and post to a two-month-old thread with fawning praise for a company? Using almost identical format (introduction to establish credibility, three paragraphs citing similar information, formal signature).


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Bards and Sages (Julie) said:


> You mean it is _not_ normal for two different people, on the same day and within a short time of each other, to create new accounts and post to a two-month-old thread with fawning praise for a company? Using almost identical format (introduction to establish credibility, three paragraphs citing similar information, formal signature).


_snort_


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

evanmarshall said:


> I am a literary agent specializing in popular fiction. I have recently gone to contract with TCK for two of my clients--for a young-adult novel and for three books in a thriller series. We entered into these contracts after I did extensive research on TCK and also spoke with the founder, Tom Corson-Knowles, at length. I am extremely impressed with his knowledge and his ability to publish books successfully. His contract is completely fair and comparable to the contracts of other publishers I sell to. Tom was reasonable in our negotiations and I am happy with the contracts I've obtained for my clients.
> 
> I am aware that TCK also sells courses about self-publishing. As far as I'm concerned, these are simply products this publisher offers and have no bearing on my clients' business with the company.
> 
> ...


'gone to contract'? That is an extremely odd way of phrasing it, even given the differences between the United Kingdom and New Jersey. Surely you mean 'signed contracts' or 'entered into contracts'?

Anyway, this thread was sinking fast and I'm not sure why the poster wanted to drag it up again, but I have to wonder why it took this company two months to dig up someone to join this forum and post this nonsense. I also wonder how many more there will be.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

I did a quick search on the agent, and found a thread at Absolute Write that's interesting to read. It's a short one, but could be informative if someone wanted to take a look. Not saying anything, form your own opinion.

Thread update, new testimonials could equal new clients.


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

she-la-ti-da said:


> I did a quick search on the agent, and found a thread at Absolute Write that's interesting to read. It's a short one, but could be informative if someone wanted to take a look. Not saying anything, form your own opinion.
> 
> Thread update, new testimonials could equal new clients.


That thread is 11 years old, so I wouldn't trust it, but thanks for looking.


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## Justawriter (Jul 24, 2012)

she-la-ti-da said:


> I did a quick search on the agent, and found a thread at Absolute Write that's interesting to read. It's a short one, but could be informative if someone wanted to take a look. Not saying anything, form your own opinion.
> 
> Thread update, new testimonials could equal new clients.


If the post is really from Evan Marshall, he is a well respected agent, who also has a really good book on writing as well as software. I don't use the software, but found the book helpful.

The timing is odd.....but could be TCK reached out to a few people and asked them to weigh in.

But, I agree two posts from first time posters is a bit questionable.


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## A. N. Other Author (Oct 11, 2014)

I don't think it too odd if someone reaches out to clients/colleagues for a testimonial. 

We're so used to seeing what is plainly a sock puppet account, this sort of things jumps out and pokes our suspicion antenae. 

Personally, I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt until someone in the back end of Kboards checks the IP address and finds the posts came from the same place as the OP. THEN I'll be suspicious. 

For now, though, I'll point out the positivity of Winthrop Manor. #2,542 overall, albeit $0.99 (Bookbub maybe?) and a bestseller tag. Resurrection up at #190,029, which looks bad but it's high in it's sub cats, as are others in that series and the afore-mentioned Risking the Heart. 

While these authors, Winthrop aside, are only selling about a book or two per day with those ranks (so won't be driving to conferences in gold ferraris), I'd suggest their books are outperforming most vanity press-published books I've seen. A few extra coffees a month, maybe.


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## Mylius Fox (Jun 2, 2014)

ADDavies said:


> Personally, I'm inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt until someone in the back end of Kboards checks the IP address and finds the posts came from the same place as the OP. THEN I'll be suspicious.


VPNs are so ubiquitous that whether or not the IP addresses match means next to nothing.


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

That thread started that long ago, there are posts from 2017 as well. The point was, people saw questionable stuff about this agency, and I thought it was worth checking out, considering the way this thread has gone. Read or not, I don't care.

Yes, this agency seems to have a good rep in general, but we've seen before -- if we're paying attention -- where supposedly honest and up front sites, people, companies and so on, turn out to be not what they seem. Sooner or later, the truth comes out. I just find it odd that someone seemingly so respected would bother -- or honestly, have the time to spare -- joining a site for writers they don't represent to boost a company that no one here needs.

Whatever. Carry on.


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## bestsellingauthorMPR (Jan 6, 2018)

I am a former news reporter and the author of six books—the last three have been published by TCKPublishing as a series. My first book with Tom became a number one bestseller on Amazon in numerous categories, both in the U.S. and the U.K., and the second soon followed. At one point, both books—with Tom’s marketing expertise—vied for the number one spot! And no, they weren’t on sale yet. My next book comes out next week—which means we’ve successfully launched THREE books in one year! My first book was published by a big traditional publishing house, the second by a boutique publisher, the third was self-published. None did nearly as well as the books published with Tom’s help! He’s AMAZING to work with, and I have no idea why there’s so much unwarranted criticism on this forum. I can’t explain it, other than maybe many of you have grown cynical over the years? Lol. By the way, a 50/50 split is STANDARD in the publishing industry these days, and it’s RARE to get any advance as a first-time writer. When I first got published over a decade ago, I received a small advance, but only got about $1.00 per book off of a $15.95 retail price. While I didn’t get rich off my royalties, I took the initiative and used my books to open doors for me! I now sell out workshops and retreats around the world, I coach people via online courses, and I even have a reality TV show in development! So, rather than complaining about something you know nothing about, why not focus on the positive? Life is short—don’t be ignorant, but DO take chances. Do your research. Write for the joy of writing, and it’s sure to pay off someday. And if you still choose to be a hater, please don’t contact me. I’m in a drama-free zone this year. Best of luck to you all!


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## AmpersandBookInteriors (Feb 10, 2012)

Just a quick note from an otherwise casual observer: the influx of 1st-post defender accounts always look off.


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## DrewMcGunn (Jul 6, 2017)

bestsellingauthorMPR said:


> I am a former news reporter and the author of six books-the last three have been published by TCKPublishing as a series. My first book with Tom became a number one bestseller on Amazon in numerous categories, both in the U.S. and the U.K., and the second soon followed. At one point, both books-with Tom's marketing expertise-vied for the number one spot! And no, they weren't on sale yet. My next book comes out next week-which means we've successfully launched THREE books in one year! My first book was published by a big traditional publishing house, the second by a boutique publisher, the third was self-published. None did nearly as well as the books published with Tom's help! He's AMAZING to work with, and I have no idea why there's so much unwarranted criticism on this forum. I can't explain it, other than maybe many of you have grown cynical over the years? Lol. By the way, a 50/50 split is STANDARD in the publishing industry these days, and it's RARE to get any advance as a first-time writer. When I first got published over a decade ago, I received a small advance, but only got about $1.00 per book off of a $15.95 retail price. While I didn't get rich off my royalties, I took the initiative and used my books to open doors for me! I now sell out workshops and retreats around the world, I coach people via online courses, and I even have a reality TV show in development! So, rather than complaining about something you know nothing about, why not focus on the positive? Life is short-don't be ignorant, but DO take chances. Do your research. Write for the joy of writing, and it's sure to pay off someday. And if you still choose to be a hater, please don't contact me. I'm in a drama-free zone this year. Best of luck to you all!


I'm sorry, but who are you?
The curse of the internet, is that someone can anonymously stroll into a forum and say whatever they please. 
Those are some impressive things that you claim, and with some meaningless and anonymous name attached to them, I think I'll treat them like dust in the wind.

I'm a great fan of the quote made famous by Ronald Reagan, "Trust but verify." If you provide something that would enable us to validate your claims, I'd be happy to take you at your word. Both Evan Marshall and Rochelle Katzman were kind enough to tell us who they are when they endorsed Tom's services.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Folks, there's nothing inherently wrong with a vendor asking happy clients to provide a testimonial. As with any vendor, TCK can be subjected to rigorous questioning; reasonable expressions of disapproval or skepticism are fine. But let's maintain basic courtesy in responding, including giving new members the benefit of the doubt on issues of honesty and good intentions.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Becca Mills said:


> Folks, there's nothing inherently wrong with a vendor asking happy clients to provide a testimonial. As with any vendor, TCK can be subjected to rigorous questioning; reasonable expressions of disapproval or skepticism are fine. But let's maintain basic courtesy in responding, including giving new members the benefit of the doubt on issues of honesty and good intentions.


I agree, but a first post testimonial from an anonymous account has limited value.


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

bestsellingauthorMPR said:


> I am a former news reporter and the author of six books-the last three have been published by TCKPublishing as a series. My first book with Tom became a number one bestseller on Amazon in numerous categories, both in the U.S. and the U.K., and the second soon followed. At one point, both books-with Tom's marketing expertise-vied for the number one spot! And no, they weren't on sale yet. My next book comes out next week-which means we've successfully launched THREE books in one year! My first book was published by a big traditional publishing house, the second by a boutique publisher, the third was self-published. None did nearly as well as the books published with Tom's help! He's AMAZING to work with, and I have no idea why there's so much unwarranted criticism on this forum. I can't explain it, other than maybe many of you have grown cynical over the years? Lol. By the way, a 50/50 split is STANDARD in the publishing industry these days, and it's RARE to get any advance as a first-time writer. When I first got published over a decade ago, I received a small advance, but only got about $1.00 per book off of a $15.95 retail price. While I didn't get rich off my royalties, I took the initiative and used my books to open doors for me! I now sell out workshops and retreats around the world, I coach people via online courses, and I even have a reality TV show in development! So, rather than complaining about something you know nothing about, why not focus on the positive? Life is short-don't be ignorant, but DO take chances. Do your research. Write for the joy of writing, and it's sure to pay off someday. And if you still choose to be a hater, please don't contact me. I'm in a drama-free zone this year. Best of luck to you all!


Nobody is likely to contact you, but to call us 'haters' just because we choose to question before jumping in with both feet, only backs up our initial scepticism. Your testimonial would have more quality had you revealed your name (just calling yourself a bestselling author doesn't make you one) and told us which categories you were no.1 in. Some categories are notoriously easy to climb.

Personally, I don't know what a newspaper reporter (they usually refer to themselves as journalists, don't they?) would want with this sort of small press. They usually have inroads into the big 5 and much more skill in doing their own marketing. Just an observation.


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## Speaker-To-Animals (Feb 21, 2012)

MonkeyScribe said:


> I agree, but a first post testimonial from an anonymous account has limited value.


An anonymous account using a pre-written cut/pasted response.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Speaker-To-Animals said:


> An anonymous account using a pre-written cut/pasted response.


Maybe, but not necessarily. Apparently the forum app for iPhone now automatically triggers those awful diamond-square glyphs unless you get into your settings and turn off the smart quotes. Or so I've heard (stubborn Android user, here).


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## Guest (Jan 7, 2018)

Becca Mills said:


> Folks, there's nothing inherently wrong with a vendor asking happy clients to provide a testimonial. As with any vendor, TCK can be subjected to rigorous questioning; reasonable expressions of disapproval or skepticism are fine. But let's maintain basic courtesy in responding, including giving new members the benefit of the doubt on issues of honesty and good intentions.


Agreed. Pretty obvious that the vender asked happy users to provide a testimonial. I see nothing wrong with that. They only have one post because people who DO read or participate here are less likely to use a service like this. I have no interest in using TCK publishing because there doesn't appear to be anything they can do for me that I can't do on my own but I'm not seeing any major red flags here.


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2018)

Maalik said:


> Agreed. Pretty obvious that the vender asked happy users to provide a testimonial.


TWO MONTHS after the thread had died.

Things like this, for me, are always academic discussions on marketing and public relations. I look at them from a learning and teaching perspective regarding how to run a business online. For a legitimate business, what is the actual benefit of resurrecting this thread two months later?

It is apparent from the responses that the OP received that this was probably not the place to market his services. So what does the OP actually gain from resurrecting this thread? He isn't gaining new customers here.

If the testimonials were from existing Kboarders who had signed up with the OP and were happy, the testimonials would make sense in context. I can logically see a Kboard member coming back a couple of months later and sharing their personal experience working with the OP. In fact, we see that sort of organic discussion regularly with service providers. In which case, this is good marketing.

But these were not Kboarders. These are people who are only here to defend the OP in a thread that otherwise should have been inconsequential to the OP. Why?

Google the OP's company. On the first page, there are two critical threads about the company. One at AbsoluteWrite and this one. When a thread at Kboards appears on the first or second page of Google search about your company, you may be doing something wrong. This thread has too much visibility for a company that claims to be as rocking as the OP presents himself. In all seriousness, Google "Bards and Sages Publishing" and the first Kboards reference shows up on page three...and I practically live here!  But the point being, I am very active here, and I drive a lot of traffic here, and yet Kboards doesn't show up until page three. The OP isn't a regular here and isn't, I presume, driving a lot of traffic here. A critical thread about his company should not have that much visibility in search.

That means his marketing and public relations reach isn't what it should be BASED ON HIS CLAIMS. People who Google for info on his company are finding this thread...AND NOT MUCH ELSE about the company. These posts are damage control because this thread contradicts the OP's presentation of the value of his company.


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## Kevin14159 (Jan 5, 2018)

I have been working with TCK publishing for 4 years now. At no point have they ever been 'scammy' or have they ever tried to sell me anything. I have always received my royalty payments (significant amounts) on time and they have always been incredibly helpful in guiding me build my book business. Working with Tom and his team has been one of the best business decision I have made.

Kevin Horsley


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## Mark Dawson (Mar 24, 2012)

Another first poster. 

Come on. Really.


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## Doglover (Sep 19, 2013)

Mark Dawson said:


> Another first poster.
> 
> Come on. Really.


Well, it was falling down the list. All these one poster supporters only make it seem even more scammy. The fact that they don't know that says a lot.


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## Used To Be BH (Sep 29, 2016)

I'm usually a skeptical as anyone--but an author who doesn't happen to be a Kboards member but comes to offer a comment on a particular issue is naturally going to have only one post. That doesn't automatically make the person a fraud or sock puppet, and this last one is posting under his own name.

Kevin Horsley's principal book is #325 on the paid list, #1 in three categories--and published by TCK. That tells me the endorsement is probably really by the author in question. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I3QS1XQ

Is TCK's attempt to persuade us particularly effective? No. Are most of us likely customers? No. Does that mean TCK is necessarily a scam? No. Perhaps the publisher is inept in some ways, but apparently, at least some people have had success with it and are happy.

I'm not commenting one way or the other on whether people should use this publisher. I'm just saying the evidence before us doesn't necessarily mean the company is a scam.


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## A. N. Other Author (Oct 11, 2014)

Looks like Kevin Horsley's book has performed well at a high price for some time too. 

I don't think this is a scam by any means, but the nature of Kboards means skepticism is a default - after so many annoying scammy pitches where new posters turn up to say how wonderful the scam is, it's understandable. 

This might be worth a look for people who are seeking a more hands-off approach to marketing, etc, especially for non-fiction.

From eBook tracker:

Date Salesrank Price
13th Jan Highest: 353 $9.99
Lowest: 390 
12th Jan Highest: 295 $9.99
Lowest: 359 
11th Jan Highest: 258 $9.99
Lowest: 305 
10th Jan Highest: 273 $9.99
Lowest: 317 
9th Jan Highest: 276 $9.99
Lowest: 331 
8th Jan Highest: 291 $9.99
Lowest: 328 
7th Jan Highest: 281 $9.99
Lowest: 328 
6th Jan Highest: 297 $9.99
Lowest: 313 
5th Jan Highest: 260 $6.99
Lowest: 308 
4th Jan Highest: 279 $6.99
Lowest: 329 
3rd Jan Highest: 287 $6.99
Lowest: 333 
2nd Jan Highest: 293 $6.99
Lowest: 338 
1st Jan Highest: 330 $6.99
Lowest: 377 
31st Dec Highest: 306 $6.99
Lowest: 367 
30th Dec Highest: 326 $6.99
Lowest: 348 
29th Dec Highest: 317 $6.99
Lowest: 355 
28th Dec Highest: 275 $6.99
Lowest: 331 
27th Dec Highest: 285 $6.99
Lowest: 316 
26th Dec Highest: 286 $6.99
Lowest: 298 
25th Dec Highest: 287 $6.99
Lowest: 340 
24th Dec Highest: 284 $6.99
Lowest: 343 
23rd Dec Highest: 301 $6.99
Lowest: 391 
22nd Dec Highest: 288 $6.99
Lowest: 357 
21st Dec Highest: 274 $6.99
Lowest: 354 
20th Dec Highest: 271 $6.99
Lowest: 337 
19th Dec Highest: 286 $6.99
Lowest: 329 
18th Dec Highest: 288 $6.99
Lowest: 320 
17th Dec Highest: 285 $6.99
Lowest: 346 
16th Dec Highest: 310 $6.99
Lowest: 346 
15th Dec Highest: 273 $6.99
Lowest: 324 
14th Dec Highest: 280 $4.99
Lowest: 280


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## Mark Dawson (Mar 24, 2012)

There’s a lot of stuff about this particular company that really raise some serious red flags. I’ve been spammed by them. It won’t take too long to search the forum to find more.


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## nomas (May 24, 2013)

As an aside, TCK's _Readers Choice Awards_ has an ALLI Watchdog Rating of "Recommended". https://selfpublishingadvice.org/allis-self-publishing-service-directory/award-and-contest-ratings-reviews/

ALLI has sussed out different awards and this is one of the few that passed muster. Whether that translates to their entire operation is something I can't address.

ALLI = Alliance of Independent Authors


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

> For a legitimate business, what is the actual benefit of resurrecting this thread two months later?


Picking up more lurkers as customers? Got to bump the thread up every so often so the unaware step into the web.


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## tcorsonk (Dec 8, 2012)

I updated the post to clarify that we now pay 50% gross royalties instead of 50% net royalties, so some of my previous comments in this thread regarding royalties are no longer current.


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