Maybe you saw the press coverage. A six year old boy was given a 23 book deal by a publishing house.
You read that right: 23.
Great human interest story, right?
However, a closer look tells a different story. As revealed in the excellent Writer Beware Blogs by Victoria Strauss, the publisher in question, Strategic Book Publishing, charges fees for editing, printing, and marketing. These can add up to several thousand dollars per book. So, assuming that little Leo Hunter's parents are willing to pay, I'm not surprised that Strategic is willing to publish 23 of his stories.
Furthermore, closer examination of the story suggests that it was actually his mother, who is a full time writer, who wrote the first book "as told by her son when he was four." The book apparently was published in 2009--but only now has the press release about the "deal" been issued. And the Mom promotes her own books in the pages of her son's storybook.
These details failed to show up in the mainstream media coverage of the story, of course. Why ruin a nice headline with the facts?
Whenever you read one of these hard-to-believe publishing stories, there's usually a reason why it's hard to believe.
(For accurate information about how to get your book published, see my book "Your Writing Coach," and if you'd like online mentoring for reaching your writing--or other--goal, see www.BreakthroughStrategyOnline.com)
