A place to call home
Fresh, new authors. Leading-edge fiction by established authors. Inspirational fiction in nearly every genre, from suspense to romance.   

About OakTara

OakTara

www.oaktara.com

A place to call home

Fresh, new authors. Leading-edge fiction by established authors.

Inspirational fiction in nearly every genre, from suspense to romance.

 

OakTara was founded in 2006 by two veterans of the publishing world, Jeff Nesbit and Ramona Tucker, to promote and encourage fiction by both new and established authors. We publish only inspirational fiction, including Biblical, Children's & Family Classics, Classic & Allegory, Fantasy, Futuristic, General, Historical, Issues, Legal/Political Thrillers, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Romance-Suspense, Sci-Fi, Suspense, and Young Adult. OakTara now has over 150 published titles and includes every genre in the inspirational fiction marketplace.

Ramona has more than 27 years of experience in publishing. She was a senior editor at Tyndale House, former editor of Today’s Christian Woman magazine for Christianity Today, and former director of editorial services for Harold Shaw Publishers (now part of WaterBrook, a division of Random House). She has also freelanced for Barbour, Baker/Revell, David C. Cook, Guideposts for Kids, Howard Books, InterVarsity Press, Simon & Schuster, Thomas Nelson, Viking Penguin, and Zondervan.
 
Jeff has written 18 inspirational and commercially-successful novels for publishing houses such as Tyndale, Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, Harold Shaw, Victor Books (now part of David C. Cook) and Hodder & Stoughton. He was a national journalist with Knight-Ridder and others, communications director to a Vice President of the United States, and a senior public affairs official at two federal science agencies. His public affairs consulting firm represented more than 100 national clients such as the Discovery Channel networks, Yale University, the American Heart Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Red Cross.

OakTara's purpose is simple: to create opportunities for new, talented Christian writers and to promote leading-edge fiction by established Christian authors. OakTara books are available from www.oaktara.com and major national online retailers, including www.christianbook.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.buy.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.cokesbury.com, www.borders.com, www.target.com -- as well as selected bookstores in the U.S. OakTara titles are also available in ebook through www.familyaudiolibrary.com, www.amazonkindle.com, and www.barnesandnoble.com.

OakTara respects an author's hard work. We're all about creating a new market for inspirational fiction, especially with readers who may not traditionally enter a store but avidly shop the Web. With other publishers of inspirational books choosing to focus on marketing only a few “top name” authors, OakTara has stepped into the marketplace gap to provide dozens of writers with new opportunities: from first-time publication, to widening the readership for already-published authors who have yet another gem to publish or an out-of-print book or series that they’d love to have available again.

FAQ's

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT OakTara
Q) What is OakTara about?
 
A) OakTara is a new publishing house founded in 2006 by two veterans of the publishing world, Ramona Tucker and Jeff Nesbit. OakTara has published over 150 titles as of mid 2010 and now produces books in every major fiction genre. We are listed in Sally Stuart's Christian Writer's Market Guide. Our purpose is simple: to create opportunities for new, talented Christian writers and to promote leading-edge fiction by established Christian authors. We’re all about respecting an author’s hard work and creating a new market for inspirational fiction, especially with readers who may not traditionally enter a store but avidly shop the Web. We are passionate about providing a broad spectrum of quality fiction with ministry appeal to readers of all ages. Click through the links of our website for further information.

Q) Do you publish non-fiction? Or just fiction?

A) Right now, we're focusing exclusively on fiction. That's where the need (and void) is in the marketplace, in our opinion. As more and more publishers focus on marketing a few top fiction authors in a rapidly changing publishing and distribution environment, new writers of quality fiction are finding it even more difficult to get their foot in the publishing door. And published authors are discovering that their books (even if part of a series) now go out of print more quickly, due to overhead costs and the increased sales numbers publishers are requiring to keep books in print. OakTara has stepped into the marketplace gap to provide dozens of writers with new opportunities: from first-time publication, to widening the readership for already-published authors who have yet another gem to publish or an out-of-print book or series they’d love to have available to readers again.

Q) What types of fiction do you publish?

A) We publish books in a wide variety of categories, including Biblical, Children's & Family Classics, Classic & Allegory, Fantasy, Futuristic, General, Historical, Issues, Legal/Political Thrillers, Mystery & Detective, Romance, Romance-Suspense, Sci-Fi, Suspense, and Young Adult. 

Q) When so many publishers are tightening their belts and only marketing a few top authors, why is OakTara choosing to launch new authors?

A) In the 1980s, Jeff Nesbit (one of OakTara’s co-founders) was a new-to-the-publishing-scene author. Although he had more credits than the average “hopeful writer”—as a national journalist for years with Knight-Ridder, ABC News, and others; as communications director to a Vice President of the United States; and as a senior public affairs official in the federal government—he was unable to get his foot in the publishing door.

Then he met Ramona Tucker (the other OakTara co-founder), who was then Director of Editorial Services at Harold Shaw Publishers (now owned by WaterBrook, a division of Random House). After reading Jeff’s y/a novels that had been collecting dust, Ramona took a big risk. She launched a y/a fiction line and an adult line at a time when only a few fiction authors (Janette Oke, Frank Peretti, and Bodie & Brock Thoene) were being published in the Christian market and folks tended to be a little suspicious of fiction as “made-up stories.” The first four y/a novels she published were by Jeff Nesbit.

“Out of all the publishers I’d approached over the years, Ramona was the only editor who believed in me and in my work enough to give me a chance,” Jeff says. Since then he has written 18 commercially successful novels for publishing houses such as Tyndale, Zondervan, Thomas Nelson, Harold Shaw (now part of WaterBrook/Random House), Victor Books (now part of David C. Cook), and Hodder & Stoughton. Jeff and Ramona founded OakTara because they are passionate about giving other authors the same opportunity to get their novels into the hands of eagerly waiting readers.

Q) Why the name OakTara — and the “door” logo?

A) Jeff has always been drawn to the concept that the oak and the acorn may be a more appropriate tree and "fruit" of the Garden of Eden than the apple tree and the apple. And Ramona and Jeff have always loved the promise that Jesus stands, knocking, at the door of our hearts and lives. So they searched for (and found) an Aramaic word for "doorkeeper" (tara, pronounced "tah-ra") to go along with the oak door at the entrance to an old, stone church. The combination of the two created OakTara.

Q) Are you an e-publisher?

A) No. OakTara takes advantage of the latest print-on-demand technology (which is now comparable in quality to offset) and is focused on the digital, national online retail market. Our books are available through www.oaktara.com and the major online retailers, including: www.christianbook.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.buy.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.cokesbury.com,  www.target.com, and other national retail outlets. Some OakTara titles are distributed to regional bookstores near authors. Our books are also distributed through Ingram, the largest book distributor in the world. OakTara’s co-founders each have more than 25 years of experience in publishing, and are taking that experience and applying it to the online retail market that has emerged for books. OakTara Books are also available in ebook through www.familyaudiolibrary.com, www.amazonkindle.com, and www.barnesandnoble.com.

Q) Are you a self-publisher? Do you charge fees to print an author’s book?

A) No, to both questions. OakTara is focused on the digital, national online retail market and regional bookstores located near authors. While we do not offer advance royalties, we do not charge fees. We offer a net royalty that is roughly double the industry standard. We are seeking a broader spectrum of readers who may not walk through the door of a Christian bookstore by focusing our publishing strategies on the ever-growing Web. OakTara covers all book publication costs. Authors receive royalties from retail book sales, and may buy copies of their books, if desired, at a discount. Because books are printed as they are purchased (buyers receive their books within several days), there are fewer overhead costs. That’s good news to authors, since they need not fear the “fiscal-year reduction” of stock and being told their book has not sold enough copies to stay in print.

Q) Does OakTara consider publishing books that have already been self-published?

A) If you have self-published, it means you have paid fees to a company to print your book. As stated above, while we do not offer advance royalties, we do not charge fees. We’d be happy to take a look at your self-published book to see if it would be a good fit for OakTara. Please see on our “Writer’s Guidelines” link for further instructions.

Q) If I self-published a book, do I still own the rights?

A) Check your contract with your self-publisher to make sure—but, most likely, if you self-published, you retained all rights to your book and can assign them as you wish. But before you send that book to another publisher, you should check your previous self-published contract to see if there is a “waiting period” before you can seek out another publisher.

Q) Do you accept simultaneous submissions?

A) That’s not a problem for OakTara, but it may be for the other publisher, so please check their guidelines. The way we look at it, if more than one publisher offers you a contract, then you get the wonderful opportunity to choose your book’s publishing home. If you choose OakTara, we look forward to working with you. If you choose the other publisher, that’s fine, too, because we’ll be glad for you that your worthy book is getting published, even if it’s not us! OakTara is about broadening the marketplace for inspirational fiction. Click the “Writer’s Guidelines” link for further instructions.

Q) Do you consider out-of-print titles for reprint?

A) We want to see quality books stay in the market. There’s nothing more frustrating to an author (or to readers, trying to find the book!) than to have one of their books “shelved”—especially if it’s one in a series, and the others are still in print. OakTara is open to re-publishing your out-of-print book or series if the rights have returned to you. Check your previous contract to see if rights are immediately returned to you or if you need to secure a reversion of rights agreement. Also check your previous contract to see if there is a “waiting period” before you can seek out another publisher. Click the “Writer’s Guidelines” link for further instructions. Out-of-print books that are brought back into print with OakTara receive new covers, new ISBNs, and go through our regular editorial process.

Q) If I am accepted as an OakTara author, can you guarantee sales of my book?

A) Nothing in life is guaranteed, including book sales. We can guarantee the process and our commitment, not the results. For a look at our marketing strategy, click on the “Marketing” link. 

Q) Where can I buy OakTara books?

A) OakTara books are distributed through Ingram and most major online retailers, including: www.christianbook.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.booksamillion,com, www.buy.com, www.target.com, www.borders.com, and www.walmart.com.  Authors, if so desired, may also sell them through their own personal websites (you may read more about individual authors and “meet” them by clicking on “Authors" at the top of our website's home page). Oaktara Books are also available in ebook through www.familyaudiolibrary.com, www.amazonkindle.com, and www.barnesandnoble.com.
Q) Why don’t I find OakTara in all bookstores?

A) OakTara is all about creating a new market for inspirational fiction, especially with the growing numbers of readers who may not enter a Christian bookstore but avidly shop the Web. Web sales are growing phenomenally. Through making OakTara titles available for sale at major online retailers such as: www.christianbook.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.buy.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.cokesbury.com, and www.target.com, and in ebook through www.familyaudiolibrary.com, www.amazonkindle.com, and www.barnesandnoble.com, we have the opportunity to reach a wider base of readers…such as those who are looking for a “good, clean read” but wouldn’t traditionally walk through the doors of a religious bookstore.

 

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