I had books with other publishers so if it had gone bad, it would have been one book. It would have hurt, but I had other options and that’s what was important to me. It turns out it was a very good opportunity and I’ve been really happy writing for Samhain with Angie as my editor.

Most new companies I would not send anything to. I’d want to see how they do, how they market, how their site looks, what the editing is like, etc. But sometimes you take a chance and it works out.

what’s important to me isn’t necessarily what will be important to others, but I encourage all writers to do their damned homework rather than just sending something out to a new place without any research.

I can make these statements because I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I’ve published with a couple of the “Big Boys” (speaking e-publishers, here), and I know how their process differs from a start-up’s process. I know, for instance, that EC can take up to six months to respond. I know, for instance, that several of the bigger publishers’ slots are filled far into next year. A start-up is not in that position. I have a lot of connections in this industry, I’ve been in e-publishing for almost 7 years . . . I guess that qualifies me to at least offer a somewhat educated opinion.

I as well have seen both sides of the fence. The longest time to publish would be at EC, that is correct. BUT I still say it depends on how many submissions they have at the time.

Obviously, experience counts for something. But an owner/principal who’s experienced in traditional publishing is just as likely to be a liability for an epublisher as an asset. After looking at QP’s figures on what they were planning on charging for ebooks ($4.99-9.99 which is pretty damn high compared to the fairly standard $1.99+ for a short or novella to $4.50-7.99 for a novel), I started to detect the redolence of NY/trad-pub thinking. $9.99 for an ebook? I adore ebooks, vastly prefer them to print, and even I’m not paying that.

Still, I’m willing to consider some readers might be willing to pay ten bucks for an ebook. And if QP couldn’t turn a profit with prices like those–especially paying 35% on net–how can other epubs do it while charging much less and often paying more than 35% on gross?

They can do it because they know what they’re doing.

The moment I read on Kassia’s blog today that the cost of an ISBN number for each format of a book was crazy…um, let’s just say I seriously hope I misinterpreted that statement somehow, because if they had done any research (like buying an ebook and checking the ISBN of each format, which you can do for one price, I might add, and is how I confirmed it), they’d realize you only need one ISBN for each title in digital, no matter how many formats you offer. Apparently the guys who sell the ISBNs would like you to do one for each format, but you don’t have to.

The stated price range and the paying on net were big enough red flags for me not to have considered submitting to them. The ISBN business (if I’ve interpreted it correctly) just confirmed for me what I already suspected. This is NY thinking applied to ebooks–and we all know how well THAT works.

I’ve heard big authors say it’s not worth haggling over ebook royalty rates when they often sell barely a hundred copies. Well, when they cost as much as print (often in the $12-15 range) and are DRMed out the wazoo, I’m not that surprised. I, a virtual unknown with four virtually unknown titles from a lowly epublisher, sold more than three hundred copies of my last release in the first ten days from the publisher’s website alone–I won’t find out second party sales for a couple months.

How is it that my ebook sales can outstrip any, even one, NY author’s? Because my publisher knows how to price, market and distribute ebooks, something NY pubs show no inclination to learn.

All this tells me is that NY wisdom does not work when applied to ebooks. And the next epub that opens crowing about how one of the owners has “decades of traditional publishing experience” is going to be an automatic pass for me.

Newer publishers might provide more one-on-one attention or a faster turn around depending on how they’re structured. (i.e. our response time is 2-4 weeks (and yes, we update this time in our autoresponders/websites if it changes, too) compared to up to a year at some places). There may be a difference in sales, as the EREC chart shows. But I think the rule of the publishing game is RESEARCH no matter where you plan to submit.

And I also have to say that as a publisher who will have been releasing books for a year next month, I take far greater pride when I hear people say they’ve heard good things about me, or my company, than from my hitting the top #10 list at ARE. Of course, the latter is pretty cool too. *big smile*.

However… I’ve frequented/moderated a lot of writers forums over the year, and I often see new writers getting excited about Uber Great New Press and what they can submit there. I almost always advise them to submit to an established publisher, because a new writer (or a new-to-publishing writer) doesn’t generally have the knowledge or tools to best handle if a publisher turns out to be a screw job. They’re more likely to believe the publisher when they try to fleece them… as we’ve seen many times in comment threads after some publisher turned out to be a scam.

Even with established writers… it depends on the output. I would not advise my friend that puts out a book a year, for instance, to sub to a new publisher. She has a lot more at risk than other writers that put out lots of novel/las and can risk that one-off they wrote.

From an author’s standpoint, we have to protect ourselves and our interests. There really isn’t an effective e-published writer’s union, so if we end up fucked, we’re on our own. Look at what Ellen Ashe went through with New Concepts. A lot of us can’t afford the cost to hire a lawyer. Pro bono options exist in some areas, but it’s still a lot of stress and heartache.

I think it’s an individual choice, whether or not to risk that.

How can you promise newbie authors that the submission process to publication is less time? Wouldn’t “less time” depend on how many submissions you get? Not fair, to even state that at all. Was your blog post written, in hopes of getting more newbie authors to your press? I sincerly hope that you aren’t trying to dupe new authors.

I can make these statements because I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I’ve published with a couple of the “Big Boys” (speaking e-publishers, here), and I know how their process differs from a start-up’s process. I know, for instance, that EC can take up to six months to respond. I know, for instance, that several of the bigger publishers’ slots are filled far into next year. A start-up is not in that position. I have a lot of connections in this industry, I’ve been in e-publishing for almost 7 years . . . I guess that qualifies me to at least offer a somewhat educated opinion.

The upside? Less time from submission to publication, more one-on-one attention (great for newer authors who might need more help throughout the whole process), and the excitement of being part of a growing business (great for established authors who might be tired of being “just one of the masses.”)

Jill I was just over at your site, I read your post , and this comment is in regards to your statement: The upside? Less time from submission to publication, more one-on-one attention

How can you promise newbie authors that the submission process to publication is less time? Wouldn’t “less time” depend on how many submissions you get? Not fair, to even state that at all. Was your blog post written, in hopes of getting more newbie authors to your press? I sincerly hope that you aren’t trying to dupe new authors.

Instead of cautioning folks to “Avoid all start-ups” I think it’s better to say “Never put the all the pretty eggs in one basket”.

Sensible advice. If I were a newbie author, I’d probably try submitting to established publishers before trying a new one. If they rejected me, then I’d try a start-up. It would depend on how many books I’d written at the point of looking for a publisher. If I already had a couple stashed away in a drawer, I might diversify.