Category: Publishing

Publishing Contracts You Shouldn't Sign

6/29/2023

When writers finally get that long-awaited offer of publication, their first reaction is jubilation, rapidly followed by "Yes, yes, a thousand time YES!!!" But with contracts, as with marriage proposals, it's better to step back before making a commitment, because divorces are long, messy, and emotionally draining affairs.

Here are a few of the red flags - taken from real contracts I haven't signed - that should serve as indications that your work deserves to be in better hands.

Rights in Perpetuity

Granting rights "in perpetuity" has become increasingly common in the age of the Internet. The idea is that once your work is published online, it is there "forever." This is patently false. Anything that is published online can be removed. But once you have relinquished all your future rights, you have effectively given away your copyright. Most book contracts now ask for limited rights, either extending until the book goes out of print, or until the author asks to have the rights returned. But some literary journals follow the egregious practice of asking for rights in perpetuity.
Here is an example of a contract clause to avoid:

"The Author grants the Publisher ... perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide rights to copyedit, publish, translate and distribute in all electronic and print formats ... in all languages throughout the world."

(I've left out the long list of every format, but suffice it to say that with this initial clause, the Author has forfeited all rights.)

It gets worse.

On page two of the contract, Article 5 stipulates that "If the Publisher changes its legal form, is acquired by another entity, or otherwise changes ownership, all rights and responsibilities granted in this Agreement will be transferred to the succeeding entity."

Not only does the publisher retain all rights, but any succeeding publisher does as well.

When I received this contract from Six Hens Publishing (a contract that was actually longer than the CNF piece I sent them), I immediately contacted the editors and explained why I could not sign. "But a lawyer drew it up!" they protested. That was precisely the problem. A lawyer's job is to obtain the best possible terms for the client, not to further the lofty aims of literary achievement.

So, how should a contract for short work be worded?

One sentence: "All rights revert to the author upon publication." Sometimes a literary journal will request a short period of exclusivity. That's perfectly reasonable. It is also reasonable, and courteous, to mention the first publisher when you submit your work as a reprint elsewhere. Paying journals should state how much they are paying you, and when. But if the contract is longer than a paragraph, run away.

Requiring authors to do their own marketing

Small book publishers will sometimes require that the author market their own book. While authors are certainly encouraged to promote their work, this should be in addition to everything a publisher does. After all, the reason writers sign with a publisher is precisely because they have marketing and publicity channels unavailable to writers.

You won't normally find marketing specifics in the contract you receive. And chances are you will feel so overwhelmed by the sheer length of your contract, it won't occur to you to ask what they do for marketing.

You need to ask.

The contract that Touchpoint Press sent me for my YA fantasy, ROWENNA, was fairly standard for the industry. It specified advance (none, in this case) royalty rates, right of first refusal, and many of the other clauses included in contracts from larger publishers. (My contract with Random House was 17 pages long.) I didn't sign it immediately, because I had questions. Specifically, I wanted to know what they would do for marketing. This is what I asked:

1) The contract mentions Ingram. What other 3rd party distributors does TouchPoint use?

2) I am pleased to see that there is a clause mentioning libraries. Does Touchpoint distribute titles through Overdrive? Are reviews solicited from the major publications received by librarians (Library Journal, Booklist, etc)?

3) To which trade/industry publications does TouchPoint send requests for reviews?

4) In addition to these, does TouchPoint submit a marketing plan to authors? If so, what does a typical marketing plan include?

5) What is TouchPoint's usual advertising budget for marketing/promotion?

Their reply was cut and pasted into my original email (which I considered unprofessional), and while it contained some details, it was essentially generic. But the real clincher was that the books they had published were only getting two or three ratings on Amazon, and no industry reviews at all. If their marketing department had been up to snuff, there would have been far more ratings on Amazon, and certainly reviews.

Charging writers

Vanity presses are businesses that charge people for printing their books. They are completely upfront about what they charge (which can be a lot), because, typically, their customers only want to give a few books to family members and friends. There is no oversight, so what you submit is what they print.

Hybrid presses, on the other hand, portray themselves as a "partnership" between publisher and author. However, in the end they are actually not much better than vanity presses. They charge exhorbitant fees for each publishing function (cover design, editing, printing, etc.) while offering very little of what an author actually needs from a publisher. Though hybrid publishers like to present themselves as selective, in reality they are a form of self-publishing. But instead of keeping 100% of the royalties, authors only get to keep half.

A contract that charges a writer for anything is not a publishing contract. It is a printing arrangement minus the pedigree conferred by a publishing house.

Recommendations

Always read contracts carefully. Book contracts are almost invariably drawn up by lawyers, which means they are long and complicated. Writers need help to understand them. So, if you haven't joined Authors Guild yet, go ahead and join before you start sending queries to publishers. Authors Guild offers invaluable legal assistance with contracts of all types. (Even if you have an agent, it's worth your while to join Authors Guild. It's always good to get a second opinion,)

Contracts can (and should) be negotiated. In most cases, royalty rates are carved in stone, but if you don't like how a clause is worded, or you would like more author copies, you can make a request for changes. Remember: You are the source of income for publishers. Publishers merely handle what you produce.Do your homework. Look up books the publisher has published. Do they have reviews? Are the covers professional, or do they look cobbled together from open source images? How many books have they published? Are they all written by staff members? Look "inside" a few of them on Amazon. Do you spot any editing errors? A small publisher is not necessarily a bad publisher, but be aware that their resources may be limited.

Last, but not least, Google them. Have other writers posted good or bad experiences with the publisher?

Forewarned is forearmed.

Further reading

Publishing Contracts: What Are Some Red Flags?

When Your Publishing Contract Flies a Red Flag: Clauses to Watch Out For

Red Flags That Authors Should Be Aware of With Contracts

A Publishing Contract Should Not Be Forever

IMHO: A Nuanced Look at Hybrid Publishers

The End of Trade Publishing As We Know It?

7/27/2021

Christine Engelhardt from Pixabay

Publishing has gone through a great many upheavals over the past few decades. There has been an increasing consolidation of publishing houses into the Big 4, which used to be the Big 5, and before that Big 7, etc. And with Random House's merger with Penguin, there was speculation that soon there would only be the Big 1. But mergers and monopolies aren't the only trend on the horizon. The increasing acquisition of publishing houses by private equity firms is another disturbing development.

In an article posted in Publishers Weekly, Gary Gentel bemoans the demise of Houghton Mifflin. Gentel, who was president of the HMH trade division from 2007 to 2016, traces the trajectory of the purchase of Houghton Mifflin by Riverdeep Holdings, which then purchased Harcourt Education and created Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which in turn led to the eventual cash purchase of Scholastic’s EdTech business by HMH, which created HMH Books and Media (Trade), which was then sold again. HMH, which doesn't really exist anymore as a publishing house, is now focused entirely on digital sales to grades K - 12.

So, why is this a problem? After all, mergers and acquisitions are not a new phenomenon. The problem, as many people in the publishing industry see it, is that publishing companies are increasingly being bought and sold ("flipped") by private equity firms, which are merely leveraging capital. Unlike publicly owned companies, private equity firms require a certain amount of money for entry, anywhere from $250 thousand to several million. These firms have absolutely no interest in publishing. As they buy publishers, including magazines and journals, they are simply stripping them down, selling them off, and drawing as much cash out of them as possible. And in the process they are destroying what publishing is, or rather what is once was, and should still be, which is a forum for ideas.

When the intellectual clarity of historians and philosophers, the creative imagination of novelists, the insights of poets and memoirists are no longer of interest to publishers, these things cease to be readily available to the general public. Unlike the production of shoes or cars, books are not mere physical objects: Books are ideas. Once publishers cease to have interest in what books contain, the ideas perish, because like everything else in the ephemeral world of the mind, ideas must be shared.

Related articles: Platinum Equity to buy McGraw Hill from Apollo for $4.5 billion

‘Valuations had shifted’: What a private equity acquisition means for legacy media

Bonnier Corp to Sell Its Biggest U.S. Magazines to Venture Equity Group

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Saluting HMH, a Storied Trade Publisher by Gary Gentel, June 18, 2021

I came to the trade division at Houghton Mifflin in fall 2003 as senior v-p of trade sales, at the tail end of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. The French conglomerate Vivendi had purchased Houghton a few years earlier, taken it private, and had sold it to a consortium of bankers and investors at a huge loss. Vivendi was the first, but it wouldn’t be the last disastrous foreign investor in what had historically been the highly profitable U.S. education business. Meanwhile, the trade division was coming off an outstanding three-year run thanks to Tolkien—perhaps the best in its long and storied history.

The longevity of HM (founded in 1832) isn’t unique among publishing houses, but it was certainly a source of pride inside the division and within the larger corporation. There was a deep respect for the history, close attention to the present, and a vision for the future. In other words, it was a company that knew what it was about: educating and entertaining children and adults. But dark clouds were forming on the horizon.

Read the rest of this article HERE.

"Conservative" Publishing and the First Amendment

3/10/2021

A recent letter to the editor in Publishers Weekly addresses several important points concerning freedom of speech, the first of which is a clarification of the First Amendment, as it applies to publishing. The First Amendment simply prohibits Congress from passing any law that restricts freedom of speech. It does not guarantee that your speech will be published. That comes under the auspices of free market, not free speech. In short, you can talk, but nobody is obliged to listen, or to give your speech a platform. In addition, there are numerous forms of speech that are not protected under the First Amendment, including lies, libel, slander, incitement to violence, seditious speech, threats, child pornography, fraud, commercial speech, plagiarism, and advocating any criminal behavior.

The second point made in this letter is whether publishing companies have an obligation to consider the harm they do when they publish "violence and vitriol," while excluding those on the receiving end. This is not necessarily a legal consideration (until their companies are sued) but it is certainly an ethical one. Does the quest for the almighty dollar relieve publishers of responsibility when what they publish leads to persecution, destruction, and death? In fact, that responsibility does rest with publishers. Inciting violence is a felony, and hate speech can be punishable if it results in assaults and murders. So, while publishers may wish to make a profit from thinly veiled white supremacists masquerading as "conservatives," they may want to consider the implications should those publications be used as justification for violence or insurrection. If and when they are sued, neither the authors nor their publishers will be able to claim "freedom of speech" as a defense.
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Letter to the Editor: We Need to Define 'Conservative Publishing'
Elham Ali and Anita Ragunathan | Feb 05, 2021, Publisher's Weekly
As cultural institutions, publishing houses certainly have a responsibility to document the many faces of society, including the 74 million Americans who voted for Trump. However, the framing of these viewpoints is an even more daunting task. From an innocent pat on the former president’s head by a late-night television host to the publication of a noted transphobic professor, the output of cultural institutions has an impact on the collective consciousness of American society. When the messenger upholds the dehumanization of Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBT+, and disability communities, their message can and has led to violence against these communities.
For many years, publishers have been quietly profiting off of this violence and vitriol, all the while systematically excluding those on the receiving end from the publishing world. And even in the last decade when strides have been made, largely led by a “new generation” of publishing professionals and smaller indie publishers, to be more inclusive of minority communities both in books and offices, these “controversial” authors have continued to be published under the cloak of “conservative” presses.
The demise of “conservative” publishing is being framed as an issue of liberalism v. conservatism or left v. right. This is not only wrong but dangerous rhetoric. Younger industry members are not calling for the halt to reprints of Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman or the muzzling of Grover Norquist, for a more contemporary example. Conservative houses and imprints like Regnery are responsible for publishing and giving a platform to a particular brand of conservative: far right and inflammatory.
Read more HERE.

Being a Writer Is the Fastest Way to Starve to Death

1/10/2019

Wikimedia

When my son was contemplating various professions, I told him, “Whatever you do, don’t become a writer. It’s the fastest way to starve to death.” It turns out I was right. (I hate being right all the time.)

The Authors Guild, of which I am a proud member, has released a report on writing income for American authors. In their terms, we are facing a “‘crisis of epic proportions for American authors’” when it comes to making a living from writing, especially for literary authors.” I would like to think this is why I’ve gotten over a thousand rejections. I’m just too literary! But in fact, every writer’s income has dropped dramatically.

So, all you young and old writers, keep your day job. You’re gonna need it.

(My son, much to my chagrin, is a writer. He is starving to death in Los Angeles.)
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New Guild Report Finds More Declines in Author Earnings
By Calvin Reid, January 7, 2019

In what the Authors Guild is calling the “largest survey of U.S. professional writers ever conducted,” the organization reports the median income published American authors received for all writing-related activity in 2017 was $6,080 in 2017, down from $10,500 in the guild’s 2009 survey.

The survey further found that the median income for specifically book-related income for published authors declined 21%, to $3,100, in 2017 from $3,900 in 2013 and just over 50% from 2009’s median book earnings of $6,250.

The survey was conducted by the Authors Guild in collaboration with 14 other writer and publishing related organizations, and includes data from more than 5,000 published book authors. Previous surveys had focused mainly on guild members and drew a smaller number of responses. A guild spokesperson acknowledged that the surveys have different pools of respondents, but said the guild still believes the figures indicate the general income decline holds true for guild members and for published authors as whole.

Read the rest of this depressing article HERE.
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Like this article? For more articles about the publishing world, useful tips on how to get an agent, agents who are looking for clients, how to market and promote your work, building your online platform, how to get reviews, self-publishing, as well as publishers accepting manuscripts directly from writers (no agent required) visit Publishing and Other Forms of Insanity.

2017 Smashwords Survey - Best Price for Your Ebook, Preorders, & More

8/17/2017

Smashwords is a popular ebook distribution platform for self-publishers. Despite the dominance of Amazon, the company has enjoyed considerable success. Since 2008, Smashwords has published over 450,000 titles by 130,000 authors and small publishers.

In addition to its own platform, Smashwords distributes to multiple retailers and libraries. The largest Smashwords retailer is iBooks, followed by Barnes & Noble, Kobo, the Smashwords Store, Scribd, Amazon and several smaller outlets including public library aggregators such as OverDrive.

Every year, Smashwords analyzes trends in their ebook publishing platform — what works, what doesn’t work, which prices do best, etc. After nearly a decade of ebook publishing, and over the course of many surveys, the CEO of Smashwords, Mark Coker, has insights that are invaluable for writers launching into self-publishing.

Below are some of the findings from the 2017 Smashwords survey. You can see an informative slide show of the survey HERE.

Top-Selling Categories

The vast majority of Smashwords books are fiction. The top-selling category is romance, which accounts for nearly 50% of books published by Smashwords. The top ten fiction categories are as follows:

Romance (73% of the top 200 best-selling titles)
Erotica
Fantasy
Young Adult
Science Fiction
LGBT Fiction
Thriller
Historical Fiction
Adventure
Horror

In the nonfiction category, the ten top-ranked books are: Self-Help, Health, Business, Religion, Relationships, Sports, Education, History, Home and Garden, and New Age.

Why Does Romance Perform So Well?

Romance has more dedicated readers than any other genre, but more significantly, those readers are voracious. Romance novels tend to be quick reads, and these readers will consume a book a day, which means there is endless demand.

From an industry perspective, romance writers have the advantage of a strong national association, as well as regional organizations and publication-focused writing conferences. Because romance writers are prolific, they tend to adopt innovative marketing strategies (pre-orders, free series starters, and frequent releases of new books).

Best Price for Self-Published Novels

Free still draws the most downloads - 33 times more than paid books. (Interestingly, this is down from previous years.) Free promotions work best for series, and for authors with a substantial backlist.

The most popular price is still $2.99. But, $3.99, $4.99 and $5.99 earn more. (The price that generates the most earnings is $3.99. The price that gets the most downloads is 99 cents.) How does this work? Authors who are just starting out should price their books at $2.99 in order to gain readers. But once they are established, they should increase the price of their books. Popular authors can charge more for their books than those who are relatively unknown.

Length Matters

Longer books tend to sell more than shorter. The average length of books in the top 100 selling bracket was 111,000 words. Words counts decline from that point, down to 90,000 words, which is still a substantial book. The average word count for the top 70 romance books is 113,000.

What this means is that romance readers really like to immerse themselves in a book.

Title Length Matters Too

Readers who like long books, apparently don't like long titles. The top 100 bestsellers featured titles with roughly 25 characters, rising up to 30 characters as the bestselling rank decreased. Coincidence? Probably not. Covers sell books, and romance covers sell a LOT of books. Romance readers don't need to be distracted by a lot of words on the cover. Just the semi-naked man/men or woman/women plus the author's name will do.

Pre-orders

Smashwords launched its pre-order program in 2013 with the promise that it would yield significant gains for authors. Surprisingly, very few authors took advantage of this feature - only 12% of books were launched as pre-orders. But, over 60% of the highest earning authors utilized a pre-order for at least one of their books. Roughly 45% of bestsellers were born with pre-orders.

The spread of fiction categories utilizing pre-orders was fairly even. About a quarter of romance, YA, and historical fiction books were launched with pre-orders. Fantasy, mystery, and thrillers each amounted to 20%, with the rest of the categories declining. What is interesting is the percentage of sales gleaned from pre-orders. Those categories which utilized pre-orders the most, also generated the highest number of total sales. In sum, pre-orders work.

Series

Series still rate as the top means for finding readers. Of the top ten series, seven started with a free book (all seven were romance titles). And of the top 100 series, 67 began with a free book. What is important to note is that series that started with a free book eventually made three to five times more than series that did not.

There was an average of between seven and eight titles per series. Three-quarters of Smashwords bestsellers come from a series. Series titles sell significantly more than stand-alone books. On average, series books sell nearly four times more than stand-alones.

Bottom Line(s)

1) Always start with a pre-order

2) Write a series, and start with a perma-free first book

3) Price your book at $2.99, but then increase as your books gain readers

4) Don't base your publishing strategy on a single metric - experiment to find what works for you!

Free Guides

Smashwords provides a number of incredibly useful free guides. Take advantage of these!

The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success

Smashwords Book Marketing Guide

Smashwords Style Guide

(Also available in Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch, Hindi and more.)

Amazon Ethics and Practice: How Authors Get Ripped Off

11/10/2014

This article by Lynn Serafinn provides not only one of the best explanations for how Amazon manages to elude every ethical practice in the publishing world, it lays out neatly and concisely how publishing actually works.

This is a must-read article if you intend to publish. Whether you are doing it on your own or through a traditional publisher, it is important to understand the different functions of printers, publishers, retailers, and distributors.

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Becoming an Empowered SELF-Published Author – Ethics & Practice

By Lynn Serafinn

Other the past few months, many authors have been writing to me all in a fluster over a controversy that apparently has arisen between Amazon and Lightning Source. I wanted to address this controversy because, frankly, I think a lot of people are having a knee-jerk reaction to what I think is basically an ethical issue, and I would like to show what I think might be a more ‘holistic’ response to it.

First of all, you need to know a bit about the parties involved and what is going on. Before we do that, let’s take a quick look at the flow that is involved in the production of any product, including your book:

1) It starts with the creator

2) It goes to the publisher

3) Then it goes to the manufacturer

4) Then to the distributor

5) Then to the retailer

6) Then to the consumer

STEPS 1 & 2: When you are truly self-publishing a book, YOU are also the publisher (so steps 1 and 2 are combined). But if you are going through a subsidiary press (such as iUniverse, Balboa Press or Create Space), you are not 100% ‘self published.’ On the one hand, you ARE self-published in that you don’t need a publishing deal and you retain all rights to your work. On the other hand, you are NOT self-published in that your subsidiary publisher is entitled to (usually) around 50% of your royalties as long as you print through them.

STEP 3: In printing, the ‘manufacturer’ is the printer. The publisher (even if that means you) then sends the book to the printer. Either we get a quantity of books printed in advance, or we use a “print on demand” (POD) service. Back when I first started out in the published world (and also when I ran a record company), you typically have to order 1000-2000 copies of your book (or record/CD) in order to get a decent price. Then, you always ran the risk of your publication sitting around collecting dust because you couldn’t move 2000 copies. Since the rise of POD in the publishing industry, that risk and investment has been removed for self-publishing authors. Lightning Source is one such POD service, certainly the most known in the world, and the one I use and recommend to my clients. Instead of having to buy 2000 copies of your book and the ship them to distributors, they print them ONLY when you have a customer for them (whether wholesale or retail), so you only pay for what you know you are going to sell.

STEP 4: The next step is to send the books to a distributor who then sells the books to retail shops. Of course, this saves the publisher a heck of a lot of time and energy, so the distributor is one of the most important pieces of the sales puzzle. Distributors typically buy your product between 50-60% off the retail price (55% is the most common), so they can sell it on to retails shops, and the retail shops can make a profit. That means if your book is selling for $10, they will pay around $4.50 for your book. From that price, you deduct your printing costs (I spoke about this in another article – Click HERE if you’d like to read it), and that is your profit.

Now what is so cool about Lightning Source is that they will also distribute your book for you via Ingram Book Company. Mind you, that does NOT mean that retail shops will necessarily BUY your book. It just means that they can supply them with your book if they order it.

STEP 5: The next step is the retailer. The retailer is the ‘shop’, whether online or on the ground, that sells your book to the customer. Typically, in my experience, retailers in the book and record industry buy your product for between 35-45% off the retail price. That means they will pay about $6.00 for a $10 book, which means the distributor makes about $1.50 per book sold, and the retailer makes about $4.00. However, as we all know, retailers like to be able to have a good profit margin so they can LOWER the price, to be able to entice customers to buy your product OR to get RID of a product that isn’t selling (let’s hope that doesn’t happen to OUR books!). Back when I was a retailer, I often had to sell “dead stock” at cost or even BELOW the price I paid for it. It’s the only way to keep cash flow going. So retailers take a risk every time they buy something. They want to know they can sell it.

STEP 6: The last step, of course, is the customer. The customer likes to get a good deal on a product. That’s why, if you give your distributor a good discount in the first place, the retailer will have the freedom to lower his price and get more people to buy your book.

SO WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

The thing that confuses me is how Amazon fits into this picture. Now I have a close connection to Amazon in that much of my business depends upon it, as I work with authors. And as a customer, I have also found them to be both reliable and convenient. Authors love to see their books on Amazon because they can reach a wider audience much more quickly than they could by going only through traditional distribution routes to retail shops. All in all, Amazon is a great asset for us authors.

But here’s where things are a bit hazy. According to their entry on Wikipedia, they are it is often called the world’s largest online retailer. Most of us associate Amazon with books, but they have really expanded and now sell just about everything.

So Amazon is a ‘retailer’ (Step 5 in the model above) BUT for some strange reason, when it comes to purchasing power, they are not paying the same price for the books they sell as other retailers. In fact, they are paying the price that wholesalers/distributors pay for your book (Step 4). That means they are buying books at an average of 15% LESS than other retailers. This means they have a tremendous advantage in that they can seriously undercut your High Street book shop.

But wait… there’s more…

Read more here.

6 Publishers Accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts from Writers - No Agent Needed

3/9/2014

These publishers accept manuscripts directly from writers. As is the case with most publishers that don't require an agent, they have a narrow focus. But, if your work falls into the categories they publish, you will have a good chance of having your proposal read. As always, go to the website, look at their other publications to see if yours will be a good fit, and follow all of their submission guidelines carefully.
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Small Beer Press

Small Beer Press was founded in 2000 and is run by Gavin J. Grant and Kelly Link. It publishes books as Small Beer Press, Big Mouth House, and Peapod Classics, and occasionally chapbooks and a zine - on recycled paper.

They also have an ebooksite for indie presses: Weightless Books.

Generally, they publish 6-10 books per year. They pay a small advance and standard royalties. Their ebook royalty rate is 40% of net receipts. While their catalog is not extensive, they do have two short story collections by Ursula LeGuin.

What they are looking for: Fiction (leaning toward the speculative), both short story collections and novels. No poetry.

How to submit: Print format by post only.

Please send a query with the first 10-20 pages of the book (not the full manuscript) in standard manuscript format, and an SASE (with a Forever Stamp or an international reply coupon) by mail to:

Small Beer Press
150 Pleasant St., #306
Easthampton, MA 01027
Phone: 413.203.1636
Email: info at smallbeerpress.com
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Allworth Press

Allworth Press publishes business and self-help information for the general public and creative professionals. They share distribution with Skyhorse Publishing, using W. W. Norton in the United States. Allworth Press titles are now distributed in Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Southern Africa, the Philippines, Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Books from Allworth Press have been translated into many languages, including Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Japanese. Allworth Press currently has 300 titles in print.

What they are looking for: Graphic Design, Business, Performing Arts, Interior Design, Art, Theater, Web Design, Book Arts, Photography, Crafts.

How to submit: Prospective authors should submit a book proposal that includes a query letter, synopsis (1-2 pages), annotated chapter outline, market analysis, sample chapter (or two), bio, and SASE.

Send all submissions to: allworthsubmissions @skyhorsepublishing.com. If they are interested, they will get back to you within 4-6 weeks
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City Lights

City Lights Publishers is famous for launching several poets, including Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg, but this press also specializes in literary fiction and nonfiction. City Lights publishes 12 books a year.

From the website: For over fifty years, City Lights has been a champion of progressive thinking, fighting against the forces of conservatism and censorship. We are committed to publishing works of social responsibility, and to maintaining a tradition of bringing renegade literature from other parts of the world into English. In our function of discovery, we will continue to publish cutting-edge contemporary literature and brilliant new non-fiction.

What they are looking for: Fiction, essays, memoirs, translations, poetry, and books on social and political issues. They do not publish New Age, self-help, children’s literature, how-to guides, or genre works such as romance, westerns, or science fiction.

How to submit: City Lights does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, but they do accept proposals. Prospective authors should submit the following:

A one to two-page letter that describes your book and includes your resumé, with a list of any prior publications and information about your relevant writing and professional experience.
A sample (10–20 pages maximum) of your work.
An additional outline and table of contents for a nonfiction work.

To receive a response, you must enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE). You will receive a reply from our staff within six months letting you know if they want to see a complete manuscript. Telephoning or e-mailing will not speed up the review process.

City Lights takes no responsibility for the loss or damage of submitted materials. Please do not submit irreplaceable materials.

They do not accept proposals by e-mail or at the front desk at City Lights Bookstore.

Please mail proposals to:

Editorial Department
City Lights Publishers
261 Columbus Avenue
San Francisco CA 94133
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Chicago Review Press

Academy Chicago Publishers is one of the oldest publishing houses in Chicago. They publish both fiction and nonfiction and have more than two hundred published titles on their list. Academy Chicago publishes about 60 new titles yearly under five imprints: Chicago Review Press, Lawrence Hill Books, Ball Publishing, Zephyr Press, and Academy Chicago.

What they are looking for: Chicago Review Press publishes general nonfiction on a wide range of subjects including history, popular science, music, film, biography, autobiography, DIY, craft, and travel, as well as an award-winning line of children's activity books and young adult biographies. Lawrence Hill Books publishes nonfiction on topics of African American interest, progressive politics, Middle Eastern studies, and feminism. Ball Publishing specializes in gardening books, and Zephyr Press publishes professional development titles for teachers. Academy Chicago publishes memoirs, mysteries, and other exciting, new, and well-crafted fiction and nonfiction.

How to submit: For non-fiction send:

A brief synopsis of your proposed book in 1–2 paragraphs
The estimated word count of the final manuscript
The estimated completion date
Author biography or resume specifying credentials and publication credits, where appropriate
Approximate sales of previous books published, if any
A complete table of contents and/or a complete outline of the proposed chapters
1–2 sample chapters

For children's activity books, include a few sample activities and list the others

Any information regarding photographs or artwork for the book
A description of the target audience and any information about the market
A list of competing and comparable titles and how your book differs—be sure to tell us what makes your book unique

Please e-mail your proposal to frontdesk@chicagoreviewpress.com

Their turnaround time on reviewing proposals is about 4–6 weeks.
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Chronicle Books

Chronicle Books "We're always looking for the new and unusual." Chronicle Books publishes 90 titles per year.

What they are looking for: Art and design, art, craft, graphic design, interior design, photography, food and drink, kids and teens, literature, lifestyle, pop culture.

How to submit: They review all proposals. However, they do not personally respond to unsolicited proposals unless they are interested in pursuing the project. Chronicle accepts submissions by mail or e-mail. Please allow three months for the editors to review a proposal.

What to Include in Your Proposal:

Include a one-page cover letter giving a brief description of the project, why you think Chronicle should publish it, what's included in the package, and your contact information.
If your proposal is a simultaneous submission, please indicate this in your cover letter.
Include an outline, introduction, sample illustrations or photographs, sample captions, sample recipes (if cookbook) or projects (if craft book), and text/sample chapters.
When submitting artwork, either as a part of a project or as samples for review, please do not send original art, as it will not be returned. Anything from photocopies to tear sheets will do.
Include a market analysis of the potential readership for the book. Who is the reader? What trends does the title speak to? Include a list of similar titles including the publisher, date of publication, and a brief explanation of how your book differs what's currently available.
Include author/illustrator/photographer biography that includes publishing credits and credentials in the field.
If you would like confirmation of receipt, please include a self-addressed stamped postcard for the editor to put in the mail upon receiving your proposal.

Please send submissions to:
Chronicle Books; Submissions Editor
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
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Lee & Low Books

Lee & Low Books is a children’s and young adult book publisher focusing on diversity. As of 2012, Lee & Low Books has published more than 650 titles in hardcover, paperback, lift-the-flap, and board book formats. Many titles have also been adapted for Spanish editions. They publish 12-14 titles per year.

What they are looking for: Lee & Low focuses on titles for readers age 5-12. Tu Publishing is an independent imprint publishing diverse fantasy, science fiction, and mystery for middle grade and young adult readers. Children's Book Press (CBP) publishes bilingual books.

How to submit: Manuscripts should be typed doubled-spaced and accompanied by a cover letter that includes a brief biography of the author, including publishing history. The letter should also state if the manuscript is a simultaneous or an exclusive submission. They will respond to a submission only if they are interested in the manuscript. If you do not hear from them within six months, you may assume that your work does not fit their needs. Only submissions sent through regular post will be considered.

Picture book manuscripts should be no longer than 1500 words for fiction and 3000 words for nonfiction. Please send the complete manuscript. Do not include illustrations unless you are a professional illustrator. Do not send irreplaceable materials.
For middle grade manuscripts of more than 10,000 words, please send a query letter with story synopsis and chapter outline. Do not send the complete manuscript.

PLEASE SEND ALL SUBMISSIONS TO:

Submissions Editor
LEE & LOW BOOKS
95 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Are the Horror Stories About Traditional Publishing True?

2/25/2014

Dana Weinberg has done another survey analysis, this time of author satisfaction.

She compared how happy authors were with royalties, editorial help, copies sold, and so on across three publishing platforms: traditional, self-published and hybrid (a combination of the two).

Are the horror stories about traditional publishers true? Her conclusion was a resounding "meh."

I have a few comments to make about this survey. The first is that people are more reluctant to give negative answers on surveys than positive ones. This means that every survey will be slanted towards positive responses.

The second thing to keep in mind is that the majority of books that are traditionally published don't make back their advances.

What this means is that publishers don't put a lot of time or energy promoting books by authors who aren't already celebrities. The reason they don't bother is that they would rather invest their resources in promoting cash cows. With hundreds of authors, and thousands of titles on their lists, this makes sense for large houses.

The other thing to keep in mind is that authors who are "cursed with ugly covers ... receive very little assistance or support in the way of marketing and promotion, or learned that their publishers had little investment in their careers as writers and/or no interest in their future books" is not a horror story - it is the reality of the publishing world, and thinking otherwise is delusional.

Just to give you some perspective, here are a couple of real horror stories:

You sign a contract with a major publisher, only to have is scrapped when the house goes through an organizational shake-up. You can't find another publisher. (That happened to a friend of mine.)

You submit your manuscript, and your editor wants you to take out any word longer than two syllables, shift the POV, change the title, and delete half the chapters. (That happened to me, as did having an editor insert the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence into one of my short stories.) Your baby is butchered.

While traditional publishing is not all it's cracked up to be (it really isn't), believing that self-publishing is the road to the Land of Milk and Honey is delusional as well.

Those who find themselves dissatisfied with self-publishing have to ask themselves some hard questions. Have I spent several hours a day marketing and promoting my work? Have I researched the market to find out how I can reach my audience, or have I assumed that simply "putting it out there" is enough? Did I expect instant fame and fortune?

Let's be realistic. No matter how you publish - whether you have taken the traditional route, or done it yourself - great expectations must be matched by a great amount of work. There is no substitute.
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How Common Are Traditional Publishing Horror Stories?—Author Survey Results

By Dana Beth Weinberg, Digital Book World

I have heard numerous horror stories on the fiction front from authors who sold their books to publishers only to find they had lost control of content, were cursed with ugly covers that doomed any hope of sales, received very little assistance or support in the way of marketing and promotion, or learned that their publishers had little investment in their careers as writers and/or no interest in their future books. Such horror stories often seem pervasive, and they easily become rallying cries for self-publishing and the greater control it provides authors. Are these tales of dissatisfaction with traditional publishing notable exceptions, or are they the norm?

The traditional-publishing victims I’ve encountered typically report that they had been thrilled to receive their contracts and had accepted neglect or poor treatment or disadvantageous terms because they felt they had no choice. Indeed, before self-publishing became a viable option, few of them did. Worse, such experiences could harken the death spiral for an author’s career: no investment from the publisher could lead to sluggish sales which in turn could lead to poor chances of selling a subsequent title either to publishers or bookstores. Authors would be forced to abandon series or throw away their brands and try to reinvent themselves.

Cautionary tales capture our attention, and they tend to get repeated and even embellished. In other posts, I reported survey results showing a preference for traditional publishing among authors. I also found that authors had expectations for several advantages of traditional publishing relative to self-publishing. With so many authors positively disposed toward traditional publishing, perhaps these horror stories are very visible and heartbreaking exceptions, a disappointing conclusion to the struggle to break into the traditionally published ranks.

Read more HERE.

Most Authors Still Prefer Traditional Book Deal

2/10/2014

I've been keeping tabs on the most recent Digital Book World/Writer's Digest survey, not just because I want to know what other writers are up to, but because I want the reassurance that we are all up to the same thing.

There is safety in numbers.

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DBW 2014: Survey Finds Most Authors Want to Earn More
Publishers Weekly, Jan 15, 2014

The Digital Book World/Writer's Digest 2014 survey, discussed at the organization's New York event this week, found that, in spite of the growing popularity of self-publishing, many authors would, given the chance, still opt for a traditional book deal.

Just over 9,200 authors responded to the survey, and they fall into four categories: aspiring (not yet published in any manner); self-published (have never worked with a traditional publisher); traditionally published (have only been published by a traditional house); and hybrid (have had experience self-publishing and have also been published by a traditional house). The survey, which is available for purchase at the DBW store, focuses on commercial fiction writers who are not treating their writing as a full-time job, and would like to be making more money from their writing.

Among some of the big picture takeaways from the survey are that, despite some negative impressions of traditional publishing, it remains the route many authors would like to pursue. Although the sampled authors felt traditional publishing offers less creative freedom, what it provides in other areas--namely marketing, distribution and editorial support--is a positive that outweighs the negative.

DBW found that the traditionally-published authors surveyed felt traditional publishing offered "lackluster" experience relative to what they hoped for, and expected.

Among hybrid authors surveyed, DBW said they were showing a "pattern of movement" from traditional houses to self-publishing. The DBW survey highlighted a familiar tale of the traditionally-published author who, unhappy with his or her treatment/sales/revenue, opts for self-publishing, which offers a much higher royalty rate. Among these hybrid authors, there was more satisfaction with self-publishing, and only 16.1% of this group, DBW found, said they intended to go back to traditional publishing.

Most of the authors in the DBW sample who had been traditionally published did not receive an advance, and almost all of the authors interviewed identified advances as a benefit of traditional publishing. Also, interestingly, DBW found that there was not a significant discrepancy in sales among authors in the survey who self-published and those who were traditionally published.

Overall, DBW found, these authors were not happy with their sales period. As the survey notes: "Neither mode of publishing, it seems, provided authors with what they hoped in terms of sales, earnings, distribution, or marketing."

Read the full article HERE.

4 Publishers Looking for Authors

12/30/2013

Until quite recently, it was nearly impossible for writers to submit their manuscripts to publishers without an agent. The success of self-published ebooks has changed all that. Even big publishing houses now have mechanisms in place for writers to submit ebooks without a middle man.

Small publishing houses, on the other hand, have always been open to direct submissions, which means if you write for a niche market, it is not difficult to find a publisher.

Here are four specialty publishers that accept manuscripts directly from authors. (Make sure you read their guidelines carefully. If you don't follow them your submission will be rejected.)
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Career Press, Inc.

Mission Statement: It is our mission to publish and distribute quality, nonfiction books for adult readers seeking practical information to improve themselves in careers, college, finance, parenting, retirement, spirituality, and other related topics. We strive to deliver well-written, comprehensive books that inform, advise, and educate the reader.

Categories:

Business
Career
Job Search
HR & Work Place Issues
College Preparation Small Business/Entrepreneurship
Motivation/Self-Help
Management
Marketing/Sales
Negotiation
Study Aids
Reference

Submission Guidelines: Authors may submit a completed manuscript or a full proposal. Please read the submission policy HERE.

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Gryphon House, Inc.

Mission Statement: Our goal is to publish books that help teachers and parents enrich the lives of children from birth through age eight. We strive to make our books useful for teachers at all levels of experience, as well as for parents, caregivers, and anyone interested in working with children. The staff at Gryphon House cares deeply about children and about teaching them appropriately and positively. We also believe that spending time with children is a valuable and fun thing to do. Our books reflect these beliefs.

Note: Gryphon House does not publish children's books at all.

Submission Guidelines: Gryphon House prefers to receive a letter of inquiry and/or a proposal, rather than the entire manuscript. That means you don't have to wait until you've completed your book to send it to us. Click HERE for complete submission guidelines.

Your proposal should include:

The proposed title
The purpose of the book
Table of contents
Introductory material
20-40 sample pages of the actual book

In addition, please describe the book, including the intended audience, why teachers will want to buy it, how it is different from other similar books already published, and what qualifications you possess that make you the appropriate person to write the book. If you have a writing sample that demonstrates that you write clear, compelling prose, please include it with your letter.

Send all materials to:

Acquisitions

Gryphon House, Inc.
PO Box 10
Lewisville, NC 27023

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Ripple Grove Press

Mission Statement: Our mission is to create picture books that come from life experiences, elegant imagination, and the deep down passion in our hearts. We want each Ripple Grove Press book to enlighten a child’s mind with fun and wonder. We look for stories that flow word to word, where we cannot wait to read the next line. We search for art that complements the narrative; whichever medium is used, we look to create magic that shines on each page.

We are looking for picture driven stories for children aged 2-6. Please do not send early readers, middle grade, or YA manuscripts. No religious or holiday themed stories.

Submission Guidelines: Ripple Grove accepts submissions by mail and email, as attachments.

Submit a cover letter including a summary of your story, an age range for the audience, a brief biography of yourself, and contact information. Please submit your manuscript as a PDF attachment.

Send PDFs to: submit@ripplegrovepress.com.

If submitting by mail include a SASE to have your materials returned.

Send submissions to:

Ripple Grove Press
Attn: Submissions
PO Box 491
Hubbardston, MA 01452

Please allow 3 months to review your submission. Click HERE for complete submission guidelines.
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Necro Publications and Bedlam Press

Necro Publications is a long-standing publishing house with a niche market in dark horror novels and novellas. They are only interested in work with a modern voice. Violence, sex, gore and disturbing elements are fine, but they expect good character development and story progression.

Bedlam Press is looking for everything other than dark, brutal horror. It can be science fiction, but they especially love humor, dark and bizarre. Light humorous horror is fine. They also want urban fantasy along the lines of Jim Butcher's DRESDEN series and Simon R. Green's NIGHTSIDE books, books that are dark with an infusion of humor and shows new worlds, monsters and creations. Our favorite authors include: Christopher Moore, Matt Ruff, and A.R. Martinez.

Weird West Books is looking for novels and novellas that are westerns with a horror, fantasy, sci-fi element. Think Joe R. Lansdale and King's THE DARK TOWER series.

Submission Guidelines: Those interested in Necro or Bedlam should query David G. Barnett with a description of your project at dave@necropublications (dot) com. Please read their full submission guidelines HERE.

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