[RM Prioleau]

Back in 2009, before The Necromancer's Apprentice was published, I submitted my book to Tate Publishing. This was before I was aware of vanity publishing and all that. I did read some negative reviews on Writers Beware about Tate, and so I was curious to see if it was really true. Lo and behold, I submitted a 'rough draft' of my book, and they ended up accepting it -- typos and all. Just like the negative comments on Writers Beware, they sent me a contract, which included a clause about me having to pay over $4k for publicity or something like that. Anyway, I never signed it, and never contacted them again.

Fast-forward to today, I get an email from them asking if I ever self-published that book I submitted all those years ago, or did I accept a publishing contract from someone else. They also asked if I have any other published books, and if so, to call them.

What I find it interesting is that after all these years they are now suddenly curious about my typo-heavy manuscript I submitted them, and are wondering about other books I published. Something tells me they must be really hurting for cash if they are contacting a nobody like me

Has anyone else receive similar emails from Tate??

 

[RM Prioleau]

Just a quick update on this, as I sent them a polite email of rejecting their offer. They responded less than 10 minutes later.

They were apparently interested back then, and I was told that they have 'grown as a publisher' since then. They had compiled a list of authors that 'they would like to see in the Tate family,' and apparently I was one of those authors (not sure if I should be flattered by that). They admitted that most of the authors (like me) had gone on to self-publish their own books instead of go through Tate because they were so damn expensive (ya think?)

So they tried to convince me that they stopped their evil greedy ways and have turned over a new leaf. They are now looking for authors in particular who have already self-published their books, because that means Tate doesn't have to spend any money designing the book. So they want me to go to market with them and have them sell and make money off my book that I spent so hard to do myself. Their final word was: "We make money when the book sells!  Our goals couldn't be more aligned."

I don't know if I should be flattered or offended at this... But it does give me all the more reason to NEVER publish with Tate!

 

[Joe_Nobody]

They are going to have a bumpy road ahead of them if the method you described is how they intend to increase the size of their catalog.

 

[Quiss]

Their final word was: "We make money when the book sells! Our goals couldn't be more aligned."

Cute. What services were they offering in exchange for your profits?

 

[Gaia Revane]

This is pretty standard practice as far as vanity publishers go when they're looking for more people to get money from. They basically keep everyone who's ever contacted them on some list and occasionally go through that list trying to solicit manuscripts. One of my friends published his first book via a vanity publisher such as Tate, and that was over five years ago, and apparently he still gets an email every now and then saying they're interested in having him be "part of their family" -- and his previous novel with them hasn't even sold a single copy to this day.

 

[RM Prioleau]

This is pretty standard practice as far as vanity publishers go when they're looking for more people to get money from. They basically keep everyone who's ever contacted them on some list and occasionally go through that list trying to solicit manuscripts. One of my friends published his first book via a vanity publisher such as Tate, and that was over five years ago, and apparently he still gets an email every now and then saying they're interested in having him be "part of their family" -- and his previous novel with them hasn't even sold a single copy to this day.

Wow, that's just... sad.
I was still unaware and uneducated about the predators out there, but I am very glad that I was smart enough to not sign that contract with Tate when I first got into self-publishing.

 

[John Daulton]

Yeah, as I understand it, they are pretty much one of the most infamous of the predatory "publishers" that have been exploiting the dreams and ignorance of writers for quite some time. Many years ago when I was just starting, I got hit up by them and, in researching them, it didn't take me very long online to find reams of information lambasting them as the being the worst kind of snake-oil selling exploiters. I mean, sure, they could have miraculously transformed and seen the light, but I think given the way things are for indies right now, probably best to assume that leopards don't change their spots.