One option for
authors who don’t want to self-publish, or are not interested in the agent
route, is to submit to a small press. Magazines like Writer’s Digest and Poets
& Writers often have articles about such presses, what genres they publish,
and how to submit. Small presses are not the same as those publishers, often
called vanity presses, who will publish any submission for a fee; instead, they
use a competitive process to ensure quality. In addition, they are not always
open for submission, so it might take a while to find what you want.
I am currently
working with Booktrope so I can tell you a little about their business model.
It is called “partnership publishing,” where costs and profits are shared
throughout the length of the contract instead of the author paying the upfront
costs of setup before receiving a percentage of the profits.
The Booktrope
process is as follows: After your manuscript is submitted and is accepted for
publication and you have signed a contract, the next task is to establish your
team: book manager, editor, cover designer, proofreader, and marketing manager
(who is often the same person book manager) and to negotiate the profit split
either by using the standard percent or some other arrangement based on
particular circumstances. The company has a large number of professionals who
have signed up to participate in these capacities so you can select people whom
think would be compatible with you as the author and your genre.
As the book moves
through the editing and proofreading stages your manager will work with you to
set up a marketing plan. She or he will market for you, although as with any
book no matter who publishes it, you can expect to do a lot yourself.
Like all contracts,
there are some downsides: You do not have total control as you would with self
-publishing, not do you have 70% percent of the profits as you would on Amazon.
But as someone who has self-published, I like the feeling that a professional
team prepared the book and is looking over my shoulder after it is published.
And I especially like that my book is distributed by Ingram so bookstores and
libraries can order it.
Every small press
is different. The November/December 2014 issue of Poets & Writers has a
lengthy article about several well-known small presses along with interviews of
authors who have worked with them and with contact information if you are
interested in checking out the company.
As with any
contractual arrangement, before signing you would need to carefully check out
the company as well as the details of the contract to be sure you understand
the agreement.
Judith Works. Life was routine
until the author decided to get a law degree. Then a chance meeting led her to
run away to the Circus (Maximus) – actually to the United Nations office next
door – where she worked as an attorney in the HR department and entered the
world of expat life in Rome Italy
where she always tosses a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure a return to Rome Seattle
Twitter: @judithworks
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