Tim Herrera

An interview with Tim Herrera

by Tim Bete

Tim Herrera is an author, columnist and award-winning journalist from Elk Grove, Calif. His first collection of essays, I'm Their Dad! Not Their Babysitter! was published in May 2000 by Writers Club Press, an imprint of iUniverse. From 1995 to 2002, Tim wrote the weekly "Perspective" column that appears in the Elk Grove/Laguna issue of The Sacramento Bee. His work has also appeared in Modern Dad and Real Families magazines. Tim recently finished his second book, Where the Dust Never Settles, also published by iUniverse. I asked Tim a few questions about his decision to go with iUniverse and how it has worked out for him.

Bete: Why did you decide to use iUniverse versus a more traditional publisher?

Herrera: I had several publishing "close calls." Editors would tell me that they really liked my work and that it made them laugh out loud... but I could never land a contract. Traditional publishing companies are more reluctant these days to take a chance on an unknown writer. It's quite a gamble. So, I decided to go the self-publishing route with a publishing-on-demand company -- iUniverse -- to get my work out there.

Bete: What was the cost to you and what did you receive for it?

Herrera: What with virtually no budget, I went with the least expensive iUniverse publishing plan -- $99. I have four kids -- three of them boys who always need those obscenely overpriced basketball shoes and one daughter who collects stuffed animals -- and couldn't afford to spend much for publishing the book. What I received in return was a beautifully designed book. They got me the ISBN number and got the book placed in all the databases used by all the online bookstores such as Amazon, fatbrain.com and booksamillion.com.

Bete: You've published two books using iUniverse. What would you say are the pros and cons of using such a service?

Herrera: The pros are that you can send in a manuscript and have it published in around two months. In the conventional publishing world that is warp speed! There were no editors telling me what to include or what not to include. And the books were done exactly the way I wanted them to be done. The cons are that there is virtually no promotion. I'm in charge of all of that myself and it's impossible to devote the time you really want to devote to get things done well. It's hit and miss promotion. I scratch around for newspaper interviews, radio interviews, reviews, and all the things that help sell books. Also, since the books are POD (print-on-demand), bookstore chains are not willing to order a bunch and place them on their shelves because they cannot return them.

Bete: The cover of your latest book looks great. Did you have input into the design?

Herrera: I made suggestions on what I thought the cover should look like. The designers took the suggestion and ran with it to create a really eye-catching cover. Their designs are top rate.

Bete: You published your first book with iUniverse in 2000. How has it sold?

Herrera: My first book is still selling. It's currently ranked #653,805 on Amazon.com. Yay! Not really worthy of New York Times list status, but I get a kick out of it and it proves people are buying it. I'm not really sure how many copies have actually sold. I know it's several hundred copies. It's difficult to sell books when you are driving your own promotion bus.

Bete: Do you have any advice for humor writers who might be considering iUniverse or a similar service?

Herrera: I'd advise writers who are considering using a POD company to give it a try because it is a great avenue to get your work out there. Giving up never solves anything and leaves you wondering about what you could have or should have done.