Looking for a Publisher

I have never known the different small press/house publishers the way I probably should. Since a lot of you have checked them out for one reason or another I come to you for help.

I have an author that wants to be published. I can not take him on right now and would like to know the name of a couple of small traditional pubs that might take him on.

He is dying of brain cancer and probably won't see his book hit the market. He already told me his daughter would take over for him. That's not the problem.

His book isn't only about his brain cancer, it is about 3 other times he almost died. He has absolutely no money for self-publishing or even a vanity press.

So, could you all give me a list of small traditional publishing houses he could submit his manuscript to? I sure would appreciate it.

Thanks!

Check out this list, Sue:

http://www.pw.org/small_presses?apage=*

(Click on page numbers for each letter of the alphabet and then click on the letters of the alphabet for all the listings)

Thank you so much, Shelagh. I didn't want to leave this man in the lurch with no alternatives. I am sure there is someone out there who would want his book.

Thanks again!

For a quick publish, I think self-publishing with Createspace gets a lot. It puts you on Amazon.com and Kindle and there is no expense. It gives you an Amazon bookstore. I hear it's simple (which it was not for me). A small publisher doesn't get much more exposure than Amazon.com anyway; and unless you are published by a New York house, POD books by any small press do not carry any more weight than a self-published book except in special genre markets.

It's not so much about exposure. As I said in my first post he has absolutely no money for self-publishing or even a vanity press and he has already figured out that he will be dead before it is published if he goes through a traditional publisher. He just wants to get it published if possible. That is why I am trying to find small presses to possibly take it.

And... I disagree with you on what you said about:

Quote :

A small publisher doesn't get much more exposure
than Amazon.com anyway; and unless you are published by a New York
house, POD books by any small press do not carry any more weight than a
self-published book except in special genre markets.

That is not always true. Depends on the small publisher. Don't lump them all together. You wouldn't want to be lumped with some other authors, I am sure.

I have to agree with Sue. I'm puiblished by a small publisher and so far the interest in my novel has been staggering. As a result I've five book signings coming up in the not too distant future. I've also had a piece in the local newspaper and 2 radio interviews. Not only that, but 24 bookstores have ordered my novel and the sales on Amazon have been constant.

Small publishers have to make up for what they can't give the author. So I think we throw ourselves into the marketing end of it more than a big publisher does. We work closer with the author and give them more choices in how their book is handled. Bigger publishers only think of the bottom line: how much they get out of it. I believe, at least in my case, that small publishers are also concerned with the author.

Thanks for the link. I saved it.

I went to . I have some questions. Could anyone help?
It lists all that they do for the potential authors (the marketing). And it takes 2 months from acceptance to bookshelfs. Yet they say they do not charge the authors any fees? How could it be such a short lenght of time without being a subsidy or vanity press?

Thanks
C.

Sorry. I meant to say MountainLand Publishing in the prior post.

Thanks again

Maybe you buy your own books?

dkchristi wrote:

A small publisher doesn't get much more exposure than Amazon.com anyway; and unless you are published by a New York house, POD books by any small press do not carry any more weight than a self-published book except in special genre markets.

I guess you'd have to define small. My nonfic pub is small, but their books, including mine, are on plenty of B/N and other shelves. They're not a POD, though, maybe that makes a difference.

What I have noticed is that, for whatever reason, small pubs have a hard time getting onto Borders shelves. My book isn't at Borders. But that's ok, because I've been reading that B/N may buy them.

Dear Sue Sunshine,

If your author is still in search of a publisher, have him contact me. We are a small, traditional press. Our books are on the shelves of the Library of Congress (we have cataloging-in-progress status there) and other libraries. We do get into some bookstores; it is difficult to get books carried there if you are not a large press. We do work with first-time authors, and we help more than the big presses with setting up booksignings and other marketing events. We are, of course, in all the online bookstores internationallly -- I think pretty much everyone is these days. We don't turn books out overnight. We have them appraised by our reading staff before accepting them and usually expect to have a formal proposal and sample chapters (the entire manuscript is fine, too). Between copyediting time and 3 months for advance copies to be circulated to potential reviewers, it generally takes about 6 months to publish a book. However, in unique circumstances and if copies in advance of the street date are not desired (and if the manuscript is relatively clean), we can get turnaround time of about two months. (Not preferred because it makes all advertising after the fact, and that is more difficult for sales, but in the long run, I suppose it is not that significant a factor.)

If your author has already found a publisher, good for him, and good luck to him.

Betty Leaver
Managing Editor
MSI Press

There have been some questions as to why some small presses have such faster turn around times between acceptance and shelves. Well, since the question was about Mountainland specifically, why not have the editor from Mountainland answer the question.

The reasons are simple. One, smaller presses don't have large editorial staffs. Therefore, they rely upon the authors to deliver a completed, fully-edited manuscript. This also allows the author to have much more control over his/her manuscript and not have a large house make a thousand changes to the already completed work. The work does not get bogged down in editing and changes, prolonging the delivery date by several months.

Second, smaller houses do not have to plan their publishing schedules years in advance. While they are thinking about the publishing seasons, peak interests and other marketing concerns, they do tend to allow for a good book to come across their desk, one that they want to move on right away.

Third, smaller presses take advantage of those printers that provide a fast delivery. Whether that is POD or short-run, these types of printers are economical for writers and publishers alike.

These are the three main reasons why smaller presses can boast fast delivery of published manuscripts to the bookstores.

Now, let's face it. With today's technology, anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can become a published author. What publishers do for authors is handle most of the technical and marketing work so the author does not have to. The publisher assumes the risk so the author does not have to. The publisher foots the bill so the author does not have to. Basically, publishers are a value-added service for authors. Take advantage of it.

That is the publishing game. Publishers read the manuscripts submitted to them and make a decision based on potential return on investment. Publishing and author's work is a marketing decision, not a literary one.

Ok, shameless plug. Mountainland Publishing does promise a fast turn-around. Mountainland Publishing offers full marketing of a published work. We believe it is the author's responsibility to focus on and deliver quality manuscripts. Let us take care of the printing and marketing so you can concentrate on what you do best, writing.

I hope this helps a bit. Some authors are afraid of small presses. Understandable. But honestly, authors have a choice: keep submitting to big houses, hoping to be picked up, or play the lottery. The odds are about the same.

If you are self publishing, you have a wealth of choices. CreateSpace is good, as is Lulu. Shop around and compare features and pricing.

If you seek out a small publisher, cross check it with Preditors and Editors.
http://anotherealm.com/prededitors/peba.htm

Also, avoid any publisher who has been around less than year. The failure rate of new publishers is high. I would look for someone who has a few years under their belt.

Is this the place?

http://www.mountainlandpublishing.com/

Mountain wrote:

a) ...smaller presses don't have large editorial staffs. Therefore, they rely upon the authors to deliver a completed, fully-edited manuscript. This also allows the author to have much more control over his/her manuscript...The work does not get bogged down in editing and changes, prolonging the delivery date by several months.

b) Second, smaller houses do not have to plan their publishing schedules years in advance.

c) Publishing and author's work is a marketing decision, not a literary one.

a) Smaller presses put out fewer books and most use free lance editors. To suggest that editing boggs down the publishing process is irresponsible tripe. To suggest that non-editing by a publisher gives the author more control over his manuscript is patently silly. Writing and editing are not conjoined at the hip. More often than not, self-editing is suicidal.

b) Perhaps yours doesn't; most do.

c) Expediency coupled with cynicism is responsible for the proliferation of bad books cluttering the marketplace, and the dumming down of society. Publishers who care nothing about the quality of literature ought to be in another business.

Thank you for the link, Marie. I lost Betty's reply in all the other stuff on this thread. I am bookmarking it and checking it out later.

Thanks for the details, Mountain. I must agree with Marie, though. Final editing and proofreading is the publisher's responsibility.

Of course that doesn't justify submitting sloppy manuscripts. Most authors cannot create perfect manuscripts, and hiring freelance editors for to edit for hundreds of dollars is absurd for most authors since the book may never be published and if it is it may not earn in royalties what the freelance editing costs.

Malcolm

As an author I feel that I need to supply the best manuscript I can to the agent/publisher: as free from errors as possible. Then it is up to the publisher to complete the process.

As a publisher I look for a manuscript that shows the author cares about their work by the amount of editing they have already done to it. Some authors don't have the expertise, so that is taken into consideration as well. It is up to me, as the publisher, to see that the manuscript is without flaw and in a form that the reader will get the best possible experience. I do work with my authors to make sure this happens.

If the book doesn't sell, no one makes any money or gets their dream. I believe that small presses, if handled correctly, can help make more dreams come true.

If a publisher offers none of little editing, run away. They are interested in producing quality work.

Book editing is more than grammar, punctuation and spelling. It's also consistency and how the story flows, how writer describes things. These last three cannot be done by software, only by an editor who cares about the book.

Quote :

If a publisher offers none of little editing, run away. They are interested in producing quality work.

I didn't understand what you were trying to say here. It didn't make sense to me. Sorry.

kdu wrote:

If a publisher offers none of little editing, run away.
...how writer describes things.

I'm pleased to note that you're not promoting yourself as an editor. Are these back cover blurbs for your next bestseller?

kdu wrote:

If a publisher offers none of little editing, run away. They are interested in producing quality work.

Publishers interested in producing quality work offer little editing? I didn't know that.