Blu Phi'er Publishing (Michael L. Bernoudy, Jr.)

Reading the Publisher's Corner on their website should be enough to send anyone running for the hills. It's just plain embarrassing.

Their art department nothing about cover designs. The fonts are near impossible to read. If we can't make them out online, how will they ever meet the ten-foot test in a store? The graphics are equally horrendous.

There are no links to purchase books in the individual genres, and no general store. No ISBNs are listed so we can at least look up the books on Amazon. This makes book ordering a PITA. The idea is to make book ordering easy and painless.

After looking them up on Ingram iPage, I see that they have zero distribution. No sales teams are pitching these books to the marketplace. This would indicate that all marketing and promotion is on the author's back. Hope those authors have lotsa money and lotsa time.

In short, these are strong indications that this company has little ability to produce and market a quality product, so why does this look like a good idea?

This part alone would send me running.

Why does your company get the rights to an author's books and never release those rights?

Answer: When an author writes a book he/she creates something very precious to him/her and they become protective and possessive of it. In a larger publishing company they generate books by the thousands and all they see is numbers and marketability.

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Hmm... large company which pays me more and allows me to keep the rights to my book vs. small company which doesn't and doesn't... tough choice.

In my company however I am as attached to the books as the authors. I often get excited at the release of a new books because my money and my efforts helped bring it to the public. Once I publish a book it becomes a part of Blu Phi'er family and I get very possessive over it.

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He says that as though it's a good thing (or as though it can in any way justify taking the rights).

As for the word "family", that's way too close to PAspeak for my comfort.

Donnettetxgirl said:

With the 55% discount & returnability Blu Phier is offering bookstores, I can get my book in brick & mortar stores.

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Newp, not true. Getting books on the store shelves has never been tougher. Right now, all publishers are experiencing record-breaking returns because everyone is clearing out their shelves. Unless you already have a literary presence, have a great product, a great platform that goes beyond being known in your community, a crack indie distributor who has strong sales teams, a solid print run sitting in your distributor's warehouse, and good reviews from the trade magazines and newspapers, your book will not be in the stores. Sorry, but those are the realities.

he also told me that he knew very little when he started, & that he is learning as he goes. He told me that he has signed someone else on for the marketing position. This person does have a good background in marketing.

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I'm sorry, but this takes big money, and given the look of his website, cover designs, and lack of distribution, I don't see how he can afford to pay for a marketing person with a "good background." They simply don't run that cheap. Good intentions don't sell books. I think what dismays me most of all is the willingness to be the guinea pig for someone's learning curve. I know authors work too damn hard on their own writing, and they should honor that hard work by giving it to someone who actually knows what they're doing.

I wish you all the luck in the world for your success.

Highly trained and skilled people often do things for charity reasons, for charities. I have trouble understanding them doing it for a profit-based company.

OneTeam OneDream said:

They do when they realize that they aren't the "fixer of everything" as described, but they do have more knowledge than the previous person who attempted it.

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You may realize this, but I'm suggesting to you that Mr. Bernoudy is setting you up as the next fall guy.

So yes, I'm the one who has stepped up and I am doing this on a voluntary basis. Maybe it is for the greater good, maybe it is because I like to stick up for people who have had their works abused over the last year or so....I've got so many reasons.

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I certainly hope you aren't going to take time away from your paid work to do this. To be honest, I'm disappointed to hear that you're going to work for free. That's just rewarding Mr. Bernoudy for poor management. Not only that, the likelihood that he will value your skills...

Oh, dear. Chris, please reconsider this decision.

OneTeam OneDream said:

I do have a strong marketing background, it might not be in books, which I admit, is a major disadvantage, however my marketing background is strong nevertheless.

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Chris, as I said before, I wish you the very best. But marketing books requires established relationships with book buyers and an extremely firm grasp of the publishing industry. Our sales teams, for instance, know many of the genre buyers on a first name basis, know their kids, their lives, etc. Their calls are accepted on the first ring because they represent very good publishers who consistently produce a viable, marketable product that sells.

You're breaking into brand new territory where the good ol' boy system is hard at work, and you're armed with little more than an inferior product. One look at those awful covers, and buyers will run. Moreover, they probably won't even accept an appointment. I'm not saying this to be cruel, but rather to educate you on the realities of this business. It ain't for the poor, and it ain't for the undereducated. This publisher is both.

You need to have catalogs printed up. Provided a buyer grants you a meeting, they'll want to know what season the new titles will be released in, advertising budget, print run, etc. Buyers will blow you off in a heartbeat if they think they're working with a neophyte. Then again, since this is a POD/vanity company, it's unlikely you'll ever get your foot in the door anyway. The best you can hope for is to submit each book to the corporate offices in hopes they at least will list the titles in their databases.

Stepping in and donating your time is admirable, but you'll burn out faster than you can say, "why won't you buy our books?" because you don't know what you're doing. Again, not intending to sound harsh - just painfully honest.

Chris, I understand your investment in your own project, and your concern for other authors--but Bernoudy does not deserve your hard work and good will.

Please carefully consider Lynn's post--it's wise counsel. If you struggle on, you may keep it going for a while, but I fear that all that's in store for you is a long, lingering, painful demise, which ultimately will take a greater toll in emotion, energy, and perhaps finances than just having it be over now.

I'm sorry to say something that I know will be painful, but I truly hope, as IceCream said, that you'll reconsider this decision.

- Victoria

I'm with Priceless on this one, I'm afraid, Chris. Be very careful, and please reconsider.

You're not giving a second chance to the writers concerned: you're giving a second chance to someone who has already made many poor choices; isn't remotely qualified to run a publishing company; has a contract which is at best doubtful, and at worst, exploitative; and who is demanding all rights in perpetuity, as far as I can see--not something that I'd even consider signing up to.

If I were an author tied up with this company I would NOT want my book released by them now, and I'd fight to get my rights back--no matter who the marketing muscle was. I'd want to get released from my contract, and fast. Sorry, guys. I can't see this working now.

Donnettetxgirl said:

Yes, Blu Phier books are on the shelves in Barnes & Nobles & other big chains. I've seen them myself. Most of them are not nationwide, & are only in the state of the author...It isn't at all impossible, or even hard for an author who has a 55% discount, & returnability to get into the larger chain bookstores.

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It might not be impossible, but it's very improbable. I hope those books sell, sell, sell, because returns can kill an underfunded publisher in the blink of an eye. That return policy is a one-way street for publishers. We have to provide returns because that's how the current game is being played. However, if a publisher sends out 1,000 units and has 950 returned, they still have to pay for the print run. Multiply that times five, six, seven titles, and the publisher can no longer afford to have their books on the store shelves. Or stay in business.

As far as books being sent back to the publisher is concerned, any author who is not well-established faces this happening to them.

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Well, this is true. However, these authors also have the backing of their publishers who have the money to market and promote on their end. We have contacts that authors don't, so it becomes a two-pronged campaign. I doubt your publisher has these same contacts.

As far as the book illustrations are concerned: mine came out great.

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It is lovely if you're up close. But an experienced cover designer would avoid that font because it's too hard to read. It doesn't meet the ten foot test. If I close my eyes, what stands out? Black and a very curvy font. The graphics don't stand out, and the stiletto is almost completely hidden behind the title. It isn't an effective cover. I'm not saying this to be cruel, but to show you that while authors may love their covers, they aren't the best judges of what is marketable. Publishers pay close attention to the psychology and testing that goes into cover designs. While I'm sure your book is wonderful, the cover could use a redo.

In the end, this comes down to trust. If this publisher has no idea what he's doing, has no distribution, inferior cover design, probably inferior editing (because you get what you pay for), and no marketing or promotion, then how can anyone trust him to sell their books? His business plan is such that authors are set up for failure. Sure, they may sell 100 copies or so, but that shouldn't be considered success. 5,000 - 10,000 units is a better goal. Given this publisher's negatives, I don't see where it makes sense to donate countless hours and money doing what the publisher should be doing when the books probably aren't going to see the light of day.

I'll tell you one thing that my publisher passed on to me and the other authors - so take this as a bit of advice. She's meeting with the distributor within the next couple of weeks (I assume along with the marketing director) and they've said that stores are being extra-EXTRA careful about what they will stock, mostly because of the recession. So good covers are IMPERATIVE. The distributor's words. Along with killer marketing/promotion (what are you doing to get people in the door to buy the book!), covers rank very high on the list.

I've heard it before, but now it's even more imporatant. A good cover might not sell a book, but a bad one will keep it from the shelves. The distributors are going to pitch books they think will sell to the chain buyers. End of story. Without a distributor, you're pretty much settling for piecemeal.

And don't tell me it's automatic for the stores to stock books, even for local authors. I've called my local stores with my first two books. Nada. And the discount is competitive, the books are completely returnable. They will NOT have me in for signings. Which is okay, because I do well enough at the libraries.

I live 100 miles from NYC, so there are plenty of authors that are considered 'local'.

I'm not trying to stick a pin in your balloon. I telling you this, Chris, as a bit of preparation. Gird your loins, man. Bookstores are a hard sell nowandays. You better have a way to get people in the door and leaving with your books, or else they won't even talk to you.

Donnettetxgirl said:

It isn't at all impossible, or even hard for an author who has a 55% discount, & returnability to get into the larger chain bookstores.

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It's not impossible to do that for the branches which you can visit personally: but how difficult is it going to be for a writer without any publicity or distribution support to manage that for, say, even 10% of branches nationwide? I'd say that was impossible. Which is what you're looking at, I'm afraid.

If you intend to straighten out the messes, I suggest that you get the rights to Jane Baxter's book reverted. She been asking for them for a long time.

Christine N. said:

I'll tell you one thing that my publisher passed on to me and the other authors - so take this as a bit of advice. She's meeting with the distributor within the next couple of weeks (I assume along with the marketing director) and they've said that stores are being extra-EXTRA careful about what they will stock, mostly because of the recession. So good covers are IMPERATIVE. The distributor's words.

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And this is a professional distributor talking. About a well-established small press.

A self-distributed micropress has even more strikes against them than that.

IceCreamEmpress said:

And this is a professional distributor talking. About a well-established small press.

A self-distributed micropress has even more strikes against them than that.

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yep - it's game over before you even start.

I can personally name ALL of the stores that have my book on their shelves. Why? Because I made personal visits to ask them to carry my book, being a local author. And one refused because it was from Lightning Source...

my sales? Abysmal, to say the least. If all you're counting on are the online sales through Amazon and the like, don't quit your day job. And without a distributor to at least try to get your book onto the shelves...

game over.

add in the recession and people actually looking at the prices before they buy a book and it's even worse.

Chris, it is regrettable that your book is for the time being associated with a publishing company with an increasingly bad rep but do you really want to throw your professional marketing reputation into the mix as well? This is not going to end well. You are not going to be the saving grace for this company despite the best of intentions. Think carefully about how closely you want to be linked to a company like this.

Chris, I tried to PM you, but got a message saying you're not accepting PM's, and the email form is also turned off.

- Victoria

I was sent this from Chris Manning to post it here for him. He seems to be having trouble getting logged in.

I decided not to send out another mass email to all the authors, but I did want to send something to all of you. I'm going to make it short and sweet. In the short time since I made my decision public of my intentions with Blu Phi'er in a marketing capacity, I was threatened in my private life. Whoever it was (I will not name names at this point) got ahold of my work information and called me at my job, making threats over things I had nothing to do with but was making attempts to correct. I cannot subject myself nor my family to that. I was simply trying to help people I consider friends, but sadly it wasn't looked at it that way. These people had enough personal information about me to make me nervous about their intentions.

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For Chris Manning's sake...I'm asking any Mod who has the power to do so to please lock this thread. Further discussion, IMHO, will only make the matter worse. Thank you.

JimmyD1318 said:

For Chris Manning's sake...I'm asking any Mod who has the power to do so to please lock this thread. Further discussion, IMHO, will only make the matter worse. Thank you.

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I don't see how further discussion of Blu Phi'er would make matters worse for Chris--he's not going to be working with them after all.

Maybe deleting the posts where he talks about working with them would be a better solution, since he's not going to be doing it anyway.

IceCreamEmpress said:

I don't see how further discussion of Blu Phi'er would make matters worse for Chris--he's not going to be working with them after all.

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Also, if this thread was locked, what would we do if there was new information about Blu Phi'er?

Wow, that's a shame someone would stoop to such levels. I mean, I was hoping Chris would be able to do something, even with the deck stacked against him as it was (not for lack of trying, mind you).

But that's just beyond low.

Man, what a mess.

I think the covers to the books on the website are rather good. Especially the horror titles. However, its a shame what happened. I baacked out of my contract. Hopefully all my rights will be reverted.

Sorry Donnette, but I find it hard to believe after dealing with the old marketing director, that he was the cause to blame. He scheduled signings for all the authors including myself and pushed their books online. And considering what he had to work with ( no budget and just plain old fire away marketing) all the authors he had at the time were horror. That's the owner of the company's decision to publish those titles period. The Publisher is a bad publisher. No one will ever take it seriously.

Get out while you still can.

I am truly appalled (but honestly, not surprised--people sometimes seriously lose their cool in these situations) that someone would harass Chris just because he tried to be helpful to his fellow authors.

It's been suggested that this thread be closed to avoid further problems. I don't agree. The drama of Blu Phi'er is still unfolding, and that information needs to get out there.

I've written to Chris to find out if there's any action he'd like me to take, such as deleting his posts. I'll take action, if any, when I hear back from him.

Hang in there, Chris. You tried to do a good thing, and I know there are people who appreciate that.

- Victoria

victoriastrauss said:

I am truly appalled (but honestly, not surprised--people sometimes seriously lose their cool in these situations) that someone would harass Chris just because he tried to be helpful to his fellow authors.

It's been suggested that this thread be closed to avoid further problems. I don't agree. The drama of Blu Phi'er is still unfolding, and that information needs to get out there.

I've written to Chris to find out if there's any action he'd like me to take, such as deleting his posts. I'll take action, if any, when I hear back from him.

Hang in there, Chris. You tried to do a good thing, and I know there are people who appreciate that.

- Victoria

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You are right Victoria. I'm sorry. I was only thinking about Chris.

There were a few others affected that worked there than just Chris. That's for sure. I hope Mr. Manning turns out alright. However, I can think of two people who did a fantastic job with promoting my book that worked there that got the shaft. One was forced to quit. The other decided to do so on his own.
Just remember laying blame to the others involved is soley counter-productive. From my gathering, they did their job. The owner of the company is the one that left it go downhill. I have several e-mails of rude, questionable behavior from the owner. The three other people I've talked to outside of Mr. Bernoudy have always been kind and cordial.

I also think one thing is argumentative. I've written a science fiction novel for them. Everyone says that all they seemed to push was horror titles. But if you look at the releases of 90% of their books, they are horror titles.

They wanted to create a mixture of genres. And now in the latest newsletter from them, the owner discusses how he wants all the authors to buy their own books.

Who does that sound like?

He's not interested in selling books to bookstores. I have seen a few of his titles in those stores. And although that is a healthy sign, the questionable actions of the company isn't healthy.

And, for the record, Mr. Bernoudy's past is a horrible one. I don't condone what happened ( with his record) but what happened in his past has little if nothing to do with his abilities to publish books. There is another post near this thread's beginning by a few professional that says that.

But lying to the authors, telling them their books will be out in May and they come out in October, royalty checks always late, contributor copies three months later beyond the release.

The company does not have the financial capabilities to exist period. Even as a micro-press, it suffers its authors.