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Brown Recluse Books

Josie

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I am again not certain but decided to ask here...if it's the right place.

Anyone hear of a new publisher:

http://www.brownreclusebooks.com/

I did a search on AWF for Brown Recluse but the only thing I found in a positive way was that a Brown Recluse is a big spider...not that I'm afraid of spiders, but there was a bit of a story and photos of a Black Widow....eeeewww

I usually catch spiders in a jar and let them loose outside...but that Black Widow....well, I'm not sure my reaction would be so brave :snoopy:but I think I'd be doing a lot of fast stepping hee hee

Okay, back to serious stuff (really nothing more serious than a Black Widow spider--eeek)

When you look on the above website see that they talk about a contest and the fee is $25...could this be their way of pulling in interested writers besides charging a fee....like a scam?

Thanks for your opinions, oh wise ones :D
 

James D. Macdonald

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Wait.

See if they're still in business a year from now.

See if they have any books on bookstore shelves a year from now.

Meanwhile, start submitting your book to the very best, top markets.
 

Gillhoughly

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What our excellent uncle said and then some.

Every time I see a contest with a 20-25 buck entry fee I think that's good money one can use to post work to a publisher who's been in business for years and has product on the bookstore racks.

For me the biggest contest win of all was the Climb Outta the Slush Pile Sweepstakes. But you have to enter to win.

Besides--IMO, that is one ICKY (if not a wholly ill-considered) name for a publisher. I'm in a part of the country where those eight-leggedy beasties lurk and they're danged dangerous. One of those critters bites you and your flesh actually dies leaving a big hole behind. That name's got bad mojo alllllllll over it!

Squick!
eek.gif
 

Josie

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Thanks, guys, for your opinions.

Uncle Jim is right of course. Why am I wasting time even considering publishers like that, especially with a name like Brown Recluse!!! On the upside I did learn a new thing in nature, a spider I don't want to go at with a jar to put him outside...

And Gillhoughly!!! what part of the country do you live in? I want to make sure I never!!! go there, yich ;)

Maybe it's someone's idea of a joke naming a publishing company, Black Recluse
 

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Actually, I get the impression that they are not aware of the species of spider known as Brown Recluses. I think they mean a tan-skinned recluse, as in a swarthy person who likes to be alone. This by itself makes me wary, as it shows a lack of research. Only a horror-geared house would choose such a name, or else something that focused strictly on the study of arachnids.

Brown Recluse Books offers its authors a standard
publishing contract with paid royalties that are competitive in the industry.
However, at this time, we do not offer monetary advances. In this way, we
keep extraneous costs at a minimum, product standards high and our doors
open to a diverse variety of writers and readers. We accept UNAGENTED
submissions exclusively
.

{Emphasis is mine}

To me, this says they have very little capital and are unsure of their business. I would wait and see if they survive before submitting to them. You won't like what happens to your book if they go bankrupt while they own some of the rights.

Also, accepting unagented submissions is one thing.

But accepting nothing BUT unagented submissions, which is how I am reading that last sentence, seems otherworldly.

I'm definitely not getting happy vibes from these guys.
 
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Aconite

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Bartholomew's right: There's something fishy about a publisher that makes a big deal out of accepting only unagented submissions.

And Josie, the brown recluse spider is also called the fiddleback, because of its markings. It's common throughout the Eastern US.
 

James D. Macdonald

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Generally speaking, publishers shouldn't be looking for "unagented" writers or "first-time" writers. They should be looking for "good" writers.

Any publisher that's looking for some group other than "good" writers ...

"We accept unagented submissions exclusively" sounds a lot like "an agent wouldn't touch us with a ten-foot pole."

Meanwhile, some grotesque and nasty photos of a Brown Recluse spider bite:

http://thefuntimesguide.com/movabletype/archives/2005/07/brownrecluse.html
 

victoriastrauss

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Warning signs, in no particular order:

- As UJ points out, no books published yet. Bad idea to hook up with a publisher that hasn't proved it can take books all the way to market.

- No info on who's running the publisher, and therefore no way to verify whether they're qualified.

- A good publisher (and its web designer) should be familiar with the meaning and spelling of "bona fide." From their "About Us" page (my emphasis): However, after all the smoke clears, please take care to ensure that your manuscript has a bonafied and compelling storyline.

-
There are three "imprints." A small, startup publisher doesn't need imprints. If they're smart, they'll only be putting out three or four books initially anyway.

- The contest. Why is this publisher running a contest not just before it has published any books, but before it has even started accepting submissions? The prize is publication, but publication is no prize if you don't know whether the publisher can competently publish and market its books.

- The fine print. Here's why you should ALWAYS read the fine print. In this case, it contains information that doesn't appear anywhere else on the site: Brown Recluse is an epublisher.

- Victoria

 

CaoPaux

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Brown Recluse Books, LLC (Solitary Muse, Fiddleback Press)

So new, Google's cache is of their holding page rather than their active site.

With their obsession over costs, I'll wager they'll collect a few dozen entries at $25 each, then spend a couple hours using shareware to make an ebook out of the "winner". Big profit to them, but there's no evidence to suggest the author'll get anything he couldn't do himself.

Pass.
 

Cathy C

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Bartholomew said:
Actually, I get the impression that they are not aware of the species of spider known as Brown Recluses.


Actually, I think they do. I laughed when Cao posted the imprint names. Recluse = solitary and Fiddleback = the nickname for a brown recluse spider (because of the dark, fiddle-shaped marking on the spider's thorax.)

I got bit by one last fall. I don't recommend the experience to anyone. Thankfully, I caught it quickly enough not to require skin grafts. <shudder> I used to be fairly tolerant of spiders--nature, their place in the world, and all that. But no more. It's open season on eight-legged creatures unless I recognize them instantly (wolf spiders are safe and so are daddy long legs.)
 

Gillhoughly

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CaoPaux said:
Brown Recluse Books, LLC (Solitary Muse, Fiddleback Press)

Okay, even if I was presently a shiny-eyed, wholly innocent neo instead of a snarky, paranoid curmudgeon I would leave this lot alone!

Their predilection for arachnids just set off my spidy-sense, signaling that I should run like Tartarus!

Fiddleback (another name for the Brown Recluse) http://www.ehow.com/how_7750_identify-treat-recluse.html

Brown Recluse: http://dermatology.cdlib.org/DOJvol5num2/special/recluse.html

The publisher: _______ (couldn't find a dang thing and ain't got the time for an in-depth cyber-hunt)

Josie-- I'm in the central south/southwest. There are 10,000 different kinds of spiders and 10,001 of them live down here.

Oh--I left out the scorpions, Gila Monsters, poisonous snakes, and types of lethal plant life!

eek.gif
 

CaoPaux

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Jus' don't start chewin' on the Jimson Weed, and you'll be fine. ;)
 

Gillhoughly

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CaoPaux said:
Jus' don't start chewin' on the Jimson Weed, and you'll be fine.
wink.gif

Dang straight, pard!

From the B.R. website's submissions guidelines:

"We are seeking stories with three-dimensional characters, compelling plots and originality. If your project fits this description, we want to see it!"


No mention of genre, (that's on the "About Us" page.) I suppose they had to put the info there to fill up all that blank space.

No mention of max-min. length.

No mention of what sort of royalty is paid, though the word "competative" is used, for whatever that's worth. (Dang little, IMO.)

And I go with the point of being highly wary of a publisher with such a severe allergy to literary agents to the point of having it in bold CAPS on the page.

Makes me think of a restaurant that won't allow a health inspector anywhere near the kitchen.
eek.gif
 

Bartholomew

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I've been corresponding with someone from Brown Recluse. They seem honest to me, and they're very human.

I think they might just need someone who specializes in web content.
 

Brown Recluse

Brown Recluse

It seems a shame that fine writers like yourselves apparently lack metaphorical appreciation. Of course I am aware that there is a spider called the Brown Recluse. Who isn't? Consider the name in metaphorical terms, as was its intent. I can assure writers that Brown Recluse Books, LLC is a legitimate publishing company, though small and newly opened (Jan. 2006 - as mentioned on the website). We are located in the midwest and we look forward to our first release in the Fall of 2006. The purpose of the Call to Publishing Contest 2006 is not to scam writers, but to assist those aspiring to publish, as well as to create a buzz about Brown Recluse Books, LLC (seems we've accomplished at least that much, huh?). Accepting unagented submissions is our way of offering aspiring writers who have been slammed with repeated rejections, yet another opportunity to break into the writing world. In response to the decidedly negative posts we have seen, we have revisited our website and put our collective heads together, to discuss ways to make our contest even better. We encourage you to visit our site again and note the new additions/revisions. We intend to be around for a very long time. Please note that the Brown Recluse doesn't bite unless provoked. ***The Brown Recluse
 
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Bartholomew

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Brown Recluse said:
It seems a shame that fine writers like yourselves apparently lack metaphorical appreciation. Of course I am aware that there is a spider called the Brown Recluse. Who isn't? Consider the name in metaphorical terms, as was its intent. I can assure writers that Brown Recluse Books, LLC is a legitimate publishing company, though small and newly opened (Jan. 2006 - as mentioned on the website). We are located in the midwest and we look forward to our first release in the Fall of 2006. The purpose of the Call to Publishing Contest 2006 is not to scam writers, but to assist those aspiring to publish, as well as to create a buzz about Brown Recluse Books, LLC (seems we've accomplished at least that much, huh?). Accepting unagented submissions is our way of offering aspiring writers who have been slammed with repeated rejections, yet another opportunity to break into the writing world. In response to the decidedly negative posts we have seen, we have revisited our website and put our collective heads together, to discuss ways to make our contest even better. We encourage you to visit our site again and note the new additions/revisions. We intend to be around for a very long time. Please note that the Brown Recluse doesn't bite unless provoked. ***The Brown Recluse

Thanks for popping on to put your two cents in.

Please don't take our speculations personally. With such predators as Mocknick, the NYLA, and Publish America out there... we have to be on our toes.

I wish you the best of luck in your venture!

Bart
 

Josie

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Thanks for you input, Brown Recluse.
I certainly hope that you as Brown Recluse have no wish to bite:snoopy: eeek

And as Bart says, it's nothing personal. I have a high regard for the writers on this forum who are always here to help new writers.
 

JennaGlatzer

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Hi Brown Recluse person. It still seems a bit ooky to me that you're collecting contest fees (a) before you've even published anything, and (b) for what will amount to a prize of e-publishing and $75 (the writer had to pay $25 to enter).

Contests where the prize is publication rub me the wrong way because it's little more than a reading fee for what should be part of your job. No one needs to pay to submit a manuscript to Tor or Harlequin or Penguin Putnam; they sure shouldn't have to pay to submit to an e-publisher that's never published anything.

So, I'm wondering: If you're accepting submissions without entry fees, why would anyone enter the contest? Presumably, you would have chosen the contest winner for a contract anyway, if submitted through regular methods, so is it just meant to entice the gamble of spending $25 in the hopes of being the one who gets back the $75 profit? Are they obligated to publish with you if they win?

ETA: Oops. I see now that you're not accepting submissions without entry fees. ("We are currently only accepting submissions for the Call to Publishing 2006 writing contest.") Never mind. So the only way a writer can submit something to your company right now is to pay you to consider it.

And since you're here, maybe you could answer the questions Victoria was curious about...

In short, who are you and what qualifies you to be a publisher? (Not meant to be a "mean" question-- just meant to be straightforward, by the way.)

And my question: If it says on the contest page that Brown Recluse is an e-publisher, why does it say "Coming to a bookstore near you in the Fall of 2006!" on the new release page? Does this mean that you're an e-publisher who also happens to do offset print runs and has a distribution deal, but you're choosing to publish the contest winner in e- format only?
 
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Brown Recluse

Brown Recluse

One thing I have learned by viewing these posts is to write everything I want to submit here, down before I come close to signing on to this forum. Forget one or two thoughts and the fangs come out. You people are brutal. I'm guessing this comes from past experiences with predatory companies-of which Brown Recluse Books is not. Our first release, which will be in the Fall, is currently in the publication process and we are excited about that. Our second title to be released is also in the editing process and is expected to debut by mid 2007. We are not a large publisher and I don't make the claim that we will be publishing hundreds of books, yearly. What we do plan to do is to release two or three good, solid titles a year and it would be wonderful if those titles could come from aspiring writers who have used our house as a stepping stone. We have established networks and working relationships with reputable companies to design our book covers and interiors, we have established accounts with the required governing agencies, and we have engaged a circle of readers/editors for forthcoming projects. We publish in both paperback and e-book format, and the upcoming releases I mention above will be available in both formats (thanks to your posts, the site has been updated to reflect this information). At this point, what we request is this: a chance to prove that we mean business. By the way, I read about a short story contest a minute or two ago, which required a $20 entry fee, with a prize of approx. $100 to the winner, along with publication of their story in an issue of the magazine (a monthly or quarterly regional publication). Should I insert their website link here? (rhetorical question, not seeking a response) I'll give you that BRB is new, but wasn't every company, at some point? Time will prove that we are in it for the long haul, like nothing else can, so we accept this rite of initiation. Happy reading and writing.
*** Brown Recluse Books
 

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Brown Recluse said:
One thing I have learned by viewing these posts is to write everything I want to submit here, down before I come close to signing on to this forum. Forget one or two thoughts and the fangs come out. You people are brutal. I'm guessing this comes from past experiences with predatory companies
Mr. Recluse Rep., it's not that AW is brutal - they're concerned. AW recognizes that there are far too many questionable companies out there and work very hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Take a look around the forum, and you'll see that they're asking questions about a lot of people. This is the service that they provide.

Whenever a new agent or publisher comes to town, it's only natural that their entire business platform is going to be put under a microscope. It may feel like a feeding frenzy and the questioning can be direct - it should be. But look at it from the view of the writer. They're looking for an honest publisher or agent and they know that AW has the most up to date list of who's reputable and who's questionable. How do you think they get that information? They ask a lot of questions and do a lot of digging around.

Any reputable company should be willing to have their feet put to the fire. If your answers are equally direct and honest, no one will sniff that out faster than the folks at AW. They're good, caring people. Put your defenses in your back pocket and simply be up front about who and what you are. Just my .02 worth.
 
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DeniseK

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Thank you, oh priceless 1! AW is THE place to come to learn the skinny. The reason is threads like this. ;)

And I have heard very good things about YOUR company over the last few days, plan to query you soon about my middle reader.
 

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Thanks for posting to this thread, Brown Recluse, and for being willing to answer our questions. I have a few, if you don't mind.

- Who's behind the company? What's their previous professional experience with publishing?

- Will Brown Recluse books be carried by a distributor? Which one?

- How do you plan to market your books to the public; what will you be doing to gain visibility for your authors?

- What discount will you be offering booksellers?

- Will your books be returnable?

- Will you be paying advances?

- What's your royalty structure?

I'm not asking just for myself; these are things that any author thinking of submitting to a publisher should know in advance. Thanks very much for your replies.

- Victoria
 

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I, for one, appreciate The Spider's willingness to speak with us, particularly given the tart reception. I also appreciate their honestly, and especially the fact that they are, near as I can tell, 100% honest.

Now if Sherry Fine would stop emailing me, my day would be perfect.
 

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