Christian Markets

K. Victoria Chase

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That was... odd.

Why the emphasis on the ability to "jump on the bandwagon" of trends?

What's really funny is this statement on the FAQ:

"Second, the growth of eReaders and e-books has created a new opportunity that allows us to increase the number and diversity of our list for the first time in 10 years."

Ok, you want more diversity except:

"Due to the volume of submissions, we will only be able to contact you if your project is the right fit. If you have not received a response in three months’ time, unfortunately your project wasn’t right for our current list."

CURRENT LIST. You want to expand but not beyond your CURRENT LIST.

And if you want to find more people, how about not making your submissions 'agent only.' That would be a start. I can't submit to major CBA pubs because I don't have an agent.

All in all, I submitted--just to see if they take my work. I've done these submission forms in the past and most have not gone through--well, all but the one I just received a response from-White Rose.
 

ohthatmomagain

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Well, if they are POD then that might make me reconsider.

Tori, what did White Rose say??
 

Deb Kinnard

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Calla, I'm not sure it means wha' you theenk it means (with a bow to Inigo Montoya). I think what they're saying is that e-books can have a shorter throughput time than print books. And that's been very true in my experience. Sue Brouwer's post on the Laube blog gave me a hearty ole laugh. If print is still where it's at, why is Zondervan jumping on the e-first bandwagon?

In any case, I hope your project finds favor and a quick "yes"!

Kelly, you're right, too. 25% is not attractive. Industry standard in the e-/small press world is 35%. Direct to reader through Amazon, you get 70% at most price points. I, for one, wouldn't bother with Zondervan.
 

Calla Lily

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Deb, I'm a cynical broad. It has been known to skew my interpretation of things. <-- Understatement of the day.

I'm not ready to SP just yet, so this is an easy test for me. :)

Now I want to watch The Princess Bride.
 

ohthatmomagain

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Can someone tell me why Zondervan and Thomas Nelson are listed in Predators and Editors as 'Not Recommended'? Is it because of the vanity presses attached to them?
 

Calla Lily

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I don't know about Thomas Nelson, but I think Zondervan has it because it uses that pay-to-display site Writer's Edge for slush.

I'll ask Dave Kuzminski and let everyone know.
 

ohthatmomagain

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I don't know about Thomas Nelson, but I think Zondervan has it because it uses that pay-to-display site Writer's Edge for slush.

I'll ask Dave Kuzminski and let everyone know.

Thanks :)
 

Calla Lily

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Dave says he'll check his records tonight, but preliminary word is that yes, Zondervan got it because of the paid slush site. He doesn't remember at the moment why TN got it.

More updates as he gets them to me. :)
 

Calla Lily

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Drom Dave Kuzminski, Preditors and Editors:

For Thomas Nelson, we encountered links on another page to their CEO's web page that appeared to be used to entice writers to sign with their vanity division. Then one of their reps had the audacity to claim that was meant for entertainment, but if it was, then my question to them was why did it link to their site because it gave newbies a false faith in their writing so they'd sign up believing their books would sell. So they earned a "not recommended" when prior to that, they were carrying a neutral rating.
 

Deb Kinnard

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They've both been listed as "not recommended" for years because they (claimed to) use the paid slush screening services such as Winepress. This was and is a no-no. I'm not sure how much they use them or if they ever once acquired any book off those "services." I've checked with multiple published writers and nobody even knows anyone who sold a manuscript off Winepress or services of that nature.
 

dpawl

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I'm a newbie writing my first book. I'm wondering if Christian writers have more success if they submit their work directly to publishers, or is it better to work with an agent?
 

Calla Lily

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Welcome to the boards, dpawl. :)

If you go back to the main page here in Christian, there are several threads which discuss the pros and cons of this:

Christian Writing for the Secular Market
Christian Pubs who tolerate swearing and sex
How to Categorize this?

And several others. There's also discussion of this in the Call to Christian Writers to Burn it up on this Board thread, which is our general "what's going on in our lives" meeting place. Take a look around and tell us about yourself!
 

dpawl

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Thank you. This is very helpful as I learn to navigate my way around.