Our Story

Windy City was started because I wanted to be a published author. I was a nobody in the publishing business. I wasn't even an English or journalism major – I was an accountant and a stay-at-home mom. But I had a story in me that I wanted to tell.

After the last of my four kids headed off to school, I sat down and began writing Falling from the Moon . I couldn't stop, and nine months later I had written a three hundred page novel. I knew it would be a bestseller and I had dreams of chewing the fat with Oprah and offering my congratulations/sympathies for her recent weight loss/gain. But I had never really thought about what would happen when the writing was over – I assumed I would query some agents, they would jump at the chance to represent me, and there would be a bidding war between HarperCollins and Random House to publish Falling. My book would magically appear in Barnes & Noble, and people would flock to my website.

That's not how it happened. There are thousands of agents, and getting one to call you back is like winning the lottery. Even if you do get an agent, getting a publisher is even more difficult. Less than 2% of books written are published traditionally, and of those, only 1% are commercially successful. So even if you have written The Great American Novel , the odds are not in your favor.

Self-publishing was another route where I would be guaranteed a published book. But after some initial research, I still had many unanswered questions. The unprofessional sales force that I spoke with was more interested in getting my money than explaining their services, and I felt like I would never see what was going on behind the curtain. I needed for someone to tell me exactly how much I would spend, upfront, and with no hidden agendas, fees, or sales pressure. I wanted a real publisher. I wanted a team of professionals/experts who would take the time to talk with me and handle my manuscript as if it was theirs. I wanted a professional product, one that I could be proud of, and one that my publisher would stand behind.

It has been said that necessity is the mother of all invention and in my case, this cliché was true. I started thinking about all that I knew was wrong with the publishing industry, both with traditional as well as self-publishing, and why it was so difficult for unknown authors to break through to the general public. I knew there had to be another way for writers (me!) to get their books published in a professional manner and without declaring bankruptcy. Armed with my business and financial background, my husband's legal abilities, and a couple of seasoned professionals (Dawn and Kristyn), we set out to build a better mousetrap.

We decided that our new company, Windy City Publishers, would take the best elements of both traditional and self-publishing, becoming a hybrid of the two. We would split the cost of publishing a book with the author and they would own all their material. In addition, the bulk of the profits would go to the author, not the publisher and we wouldn't even begin to share in those profits until the author had recouped their original investment.

Marketing and distribution were two important aspects that were key to a successful book and we figured those elements had to form the basis for our strategic plans. Marketing, even in traditional publishing, was the author's responsibility and unless you are a professional marketer, it is almost impossible to know where to begin, or what to do for that matter. How do you get the word out to your potential readers? What role can social media play? How important are book reviews? These are all questions that we wanted answers to.

Our new company would be run with integrity and transparency. We would collaborate closely with our authors, providing expert guidance, and allow them complete access to their project at every step of the way. We would be upfront with our services and our pricing, and not play the "hidden cost" game. Most importantly, our authors would know who was on their team and understand that we were as vested in their project as they were.

We would not be a self-publisher, but we wouldn't be a traditional publisher either. We would be new and different––a publishing company that combined the sophistication of a traditional house with the simplicity of a self-publisher. Our biggest point of difference, in addition to the marketing aspect, would be our relationship with our clients. It was important to us that our authors didn't feel they had to brave this unknown world of publishing alone. They had a partner.

So here we are today – working way more hours than we ever thought possible and McLovin' every minute of it. We have a winning company and are confident of our continued success. Check us out – I think you'll agree.

WE ARE WINDY CITY PUBLISHERS.
What's your story?