If you know anything about Tate Publishing, a small “not vanity!” press located in Mustang, Oklahoma, you’ll probably know that its owners are tangled up in more than one scandal–firing twenty-five employees, being sued by Xerox, and now failing to pay their employees in the Philippines and having to declare bankruptcy, all the while making empty promises to thousands of authors that they’ll give them quality publishing.
I can’t say that I regret having worked at Tate Publishing. For the three years I was there I learned vast quantities of valuable information about editing and the publishing process. I learned to trust in the Chicago Manual of Style, how to spot and fix plot holes, how to strengthen dialogue. I learned how to write professional emails, how to multitask within a busy company. I made a lot of good friends within the production departments.
But none of us liked who we were working for. We didn’t like the way the Tates treated us, and we didn’t like the way the Tates treated our authors. We did the best we could with what we were given, but we felt like peons in a larger structure. Some of us quit. Some of us were fired. Some of us even volunteered to get fired after this infamous staff meeting.
I was fortunate in that I chose to quit approximately one month before shit got real over there. Instead, for the past four years I’ve been blessed to work with authors on my own terms and put to use everything that I learned at Tate while also getting to homeschool my children.
I’m happy to hear that Tate Publishing is closing. I’m not happy to hear that over a thousand authors are not going to see their manuscripts published and their contracts honored. I can’t do much about it, but here’s what I can do.
If you’re a Tate author who didn’t get your manuscript to the editing phase or were unhappy with the editing that you did get, please contact me via my contact form. I’ll concept or copy edit your manuscript at my “personal friend discount” fee. I’ll make sure to give your words the attention they deserve.
I’m sorry I can’t do more. But hopefully, this will be the end of the saga that is Tate Publishing and Enterprises, LLC.
Hello Jessie,
I am one of the screwed ones. However, for the last few months, my wife took upon the task to make sure my manuscript was edited well. The problem is There are marks and additions to be approved on adobe reader. I was using the one Tate was using now It seems I can’t approve the changes. Please advice as t what to do in this scenario.
Thanks for taking time and for willing to help