By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Brad MacLean watched the emotional angst his wife, Christine, went through after submitting a children's story idea to a publishing house and waiting for a response.
Typically, authors mail manuscripts to a publisher, wait for months, and then get a form letter rejection, often with no feedback about their work. After that, the writer is free to submit the book to another publisher and wait several more months.
"The more we learned about the publishing process, the more we said there has to be a better way," Brad says.
MacLean's brainchild, Creative Byline, is a secure web-based application that streamlines the submission process. Writers upload their manuscripts for $19.00 and 'first readers'—readers trained to look for basic writing ability—review them.
Writers who don't make the cut receive targeted feedback on how to improve the work. Writers who make the cut receive a list of editors who are a potential match for the work. The writer selects an editor and submits the work online.
Creative Byline guarantees that the editor will look at the manuscript within just three weeks. If they don't, the writer can submit it to another editor for the original $19.00 fee.
"If the answer is 'We're not interested,' we hope it comes much quicker so writers can move on to find a publisher who is interested," Brad says.
Creative Byline went live December 10 with one major publishing house, Dutton Children's Books, a division of Penguin Group. Two other major publishers are in final contract negotiations.
MacLean plans to add 12 employees in 2008 to handle Internet marketing, web site content, and as moderators for an online author community launching next spring.
Source: Brad MacLean, Creative Byline
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at
[email protected].
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