Small Publisher?

SMALL PUBLISHER??

ME

I have a small publishing company. I charge to edit and format and for cover design. These 3 things are time consuming. Once everything is set, I do not charge for actual publication. I promote the best I can, but even large houses expect authors to self-promote these days. If one of my authors wants copies to sell or have signings, they order directly from the printer. Never would I require a person to order a set number of books up front. Honestly, that is unscrupulous. My charges are directly related to my time. I manage eBook sales and print-on-demand sales and take 15% for 2 years; nothing after that and nothing from sales done directly by the author.

RESPONDER 1

Please, and I say this as the owner of a small publishing company, stop calling yourself a small publisher. You are a publishing services company not a publisher. This is exactly the same set-up as the vanity presses that have got so much (warranted) negative publicity over the years. You might be offering a legitimate service (which many of them weren't) but it still doesn't make you a publisher.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging your professionalism. You could be offering the best quality services out there, but you are a service provider if you charge for services, not a publisher. Out of curiosity, how much royalty cut do you take?

ME

15% for eBooks and print-on-demand for 2 years; none after and none on any the author sells directly like at signings or conferences. I manage the eBook a print-on-demand accounts

RESPONDER 2

That is not what true publishers do. I have a publishing company, we are a real traditional publisher which means if we accept a book, the author pays nothing. We get paid for editing, formatting, cover design and all from book sales not the author. This is the reason most books aren't selected because we have to judge a book to determine whether it will sell since that's where we make money. We also train our authors about marketing to increase the chance of sales, but there is never a guarantee a book will sell so as a publishing company we are taking a risk, the same risk as the author. I've seen companies do what you're doing which never works out well for the author based on what I've seen.

NOW I EDIT AS A CONTENT EDITOR:

RESPONDER 2 SAYS:  We get paid for editing, formatting, cover design and all from book sales not the author.   

IS SAID: I charge to edit and format and for cover design.

Okay—I get paid upfront for those three things. Any editor worth their salt gets paid. Every editor I know, gets paid. And according to many of them I am inexpensive by industry standards. Moreover, every agent or publisher I've ever been in contact with expects to get the manuscript already edited to at least 90% ready to go. Many publishers still do not take direct submissions, and if they do, I've heard authors tell stories about getting the manuscript back due to the fact it was unedited. And if an agent is involved, I know for a fact they send back 99% of queries and require a manuscript to be print-ready if they ask for the whole thing.

And now a rag on RESPONDER 2's need for an editor. Her second sentence contains a comma splice, which would be considered a major grammatical error. Sorry! The English teacher is ranting.

RESPONDER 2 SAYS:  We also train our authors about marketing to increase the chance of sales, but there is never a guarantee a book will sell so as a publishing company we are taking a risk, the same risk as the author

I SAID: I promote the best I can, but even large houses expect authors to self-promote these days.

Okay—I encourage my authors to learn about promotion and marketing.

RESPONDER 2 SAYS:

Oh, wait! Nothing about the percentage they take of author sales. As the publisher, it reads as if they monitor the sales and then pay the author their cut. There is no mention of when the rights to the work return to the author.

I SAID:  I manage eBook sales and print on demand sales and take 15% for 2 years; nothing after that and nothing from sales done directly by the author.

Okay—I think my statement is straightforward and specific. So far, I've calculated what my authors have paid me, and it appears that they have recouped the amount they paid me. No, there is no guarantee the book will sell.

NOW TO RESPONDER 1

This is a comment by another person: I have a small start-up indie publishing company, and I honestly think a lot of people have misconceptions about paying a company to publish your book. The reason we charge our clients to publish is the same reason big publishers will never let you through the door: most authors will simply never sell enough copies to actually turn a profit. Everyone thinks they're unique and different, but unless you have lightning in a bottle, chances are you're not going to sell a ton of copies. This is particularly true for first time authors. There was a lot more, but I won't post all of it.

Note RESPONDER 1's comment to this person: Please, and I say this as the owner of a small publishing company, stop calling yourself a small publisher. You are a publishing services company not a publisher. This is exactly the same set-up as the vanity presses that have got so much (warranted) negative publicity over the years. You might be offering a legitimate service (which many of them weren't) but it still doesn't make you a publisher.

IT IS VERBATIM WHAT SHE SAID TO ME!!! Did she just copy and paste? I mean, my comment was second.

The next part is the part that is funny.

RESPONER 1 SAYS: Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging your professionalism. You could be offering the best quality services out there, but you are a service provider if you charge for services, not a publisher. Out of curiosity, how much royalty cut do you take?

I SAID: 15% for eBooks and print on demand for 2 years; none after and none on any the author sells directly like at signings or conferences. I manage the eBook a print-on-demand accounts.

Now, if RESPONDER 1 had bothered to actually READ my first comment, she would have seen that was already included.

RESPONDER 1 SAYS:

THAT'S RIGHT! NO RESPONSE AFTER THAT.

Back to RESPONDER 2 for a second. The original conversation took place on May 29. Why, especially since there was no dialogue about the original post since the wee hours of May 30, would she comment on June 2? Was it just to stir the pot again?

And to close, I hope you notice that I didn't even include which group was involved here. Last, Dragon Breath Press remains available to assist any author who would like to publish. My charges are listed in this post. Note, I DO retain the right to refuse a piece of work depending on if it is so riddled with mistakes that it would necessitate an increased charge for editing. Also, if I am working with you as your editor, I am in contact with you frequently, and I respectfully request that if you are not willing to implement suggested changes or refuse to make the required grammar changes, don't waste your time or my time. An obstinate author I will drop like a hot potato. I will never change anything that changes your story. But there are folks that I don't work with because, despite asking for editing, they refuse to change, improve, or evolve.