Risks of using a new publishing co.?

dakota

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I have a friend who has received a book deal and recommended my manuscript to her publisher. My manuscript has made it through their review and content processes and recommended for an offer to the president who has asked for 2 extra weeks to review my work. I am unagented. The publishing company is new (less than 1 year old) with only a few books actually on the stands. (I have no idea their sales numbers). My friend's book is due to release later this year and to date she is very pleased with the publisher. She speaks highly of their editor's work and I have seen the professionalism they have given to her book. It looks great. (I'd buy it even if I didn't know her).

There isn't a lot to find about the company on the net which worries me.
From my understanding, they offer an advance and require no fees from me short of whatever I spend to promote my book.

My question is: if I am having no luck in the agent search and have since moved on to working on my next manuscript, what do I have to lose in going with a new publisher if they are willing to give a new author like me a chance? Is that a risk worth taking or am I missing a major concern?

Thanks all.
 

jchines

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I think it depends. An advance is a good sign, though the lack of information would make me nervous. Do you know the name of the president or the editors? I'd Google them to see if any of them have any publishing experience. Enthusiasm and professionalism are great, but they don't do much if nobody has any experience or know what they're doing.

I have a friend who sold a book to a publisher only to have that publisher go under. Her book got tied up in bankruptcy, and it's taken years for her to get the rights back. That's an extreme example, but at a bare minimum, I'd go over any contract very, very closely. If you can't get an agent, then do you have any published author friends who could help you with contract review to look for potential pitfalls?

When I was in a similar position, I e-mailed the publisher's other authors to ask what they thought. You might also order one of their books, just to check out the finished product.

I'm not saying run away or anything like that, and it could be a great experience. But be careful.

Good luck!
 

Tburger

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I would go to the Bewares and Background Checks forum on these boards and look for the publisher there. If you don't see it, post the name and your concerns. There are a lot of experienced (i.e., editors and agents who are incognito) people there who can help with exactly this kind of question.
 

shaldna

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I'm with the others on this one, find out as much as you possibly can about them before hand.
 

dakota

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Thank you for the replies. I haven't listed the publisher because I don't want to get ahead of myself (I haven't been offered anything yet). If they turn me down, then it would be much ado about nothing. I haven't found a lot about them on the net other than the books they have at Amazon and such. I am getting most of my advice from my friend who is pretty happy with them to date.
If they offer me a deal, I'll definitely contact their other authors along with asking about them specifically on here (Bewares and Background). I was just looking for some of the pit falls with a new publisher. I do worry about bankruptcy (good point).

Thanks everyone.
 

BrooklynLee

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Can you get any information on the specific people who started the publishing company? If they came from big firms and have real track records in publishing from before they started this firm, that might be something that could swing a decision in their favor. And if you can't find any info on them that might be a red flag.
 

dakota

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The company is Rhemalda Publishing. I've researched the points above and found little publishing history from the company or the president. I've also spoken with their current authors who have been highly impressed with their dealings to date. I received a contract offer 2 weeks ago. After reading the contract, my lawyer recommended signing. Without getting into details, the contract addressed several of my concerns which was encouraging. I realize the risks of a new, unproven publisher and did not take those concerns lightly. After many hours of weighing the pluses (a company willing to put money into an unknown author based strictly on the work, the conversations with their current authors, ect.) against the negatives (everything we've talked about already in this post), I decided to take a chance-just like the chance they are taking in me.

I am excited for this journey. Sure, things could turn out badly, I completely understand, but this could also be a big break. After hours of consideration, I decided to take a chance. And as of right now, I couldn't be happier.

Thank you everyone for helping. We'll see how this adventure plays out.
 

dakota

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I only meant it in the sense that they were willing to take a chance on me without many credentials and back that chance with money. I simply meant that where some publishers turned me down, Rhemalda didn't. Not that they are somehow different than other legit publishers or anything. I suppose I worded it wrong.
 

priceless1

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I only meant it in the sense that they were willing to take a chance on me without many credentials and back that chance with money. I simply meant that where some publishers turned me down, Rhemalda didn't.
Dakota, solid publishers sign debut authors all the time. Just because they were the first guys who didn't turn you down, it shouldn't be the litmus you use to shape your decision.

Do they have distribution?
How do they plan on promoting your book?
What kind of print runs do they do?
How many books are shipped out?
Do they have a bookstore presence?

A quick look at their website shows that they concentrate more on what you need to be doing, and very little about what they are doing - even going as far as suggesting that you always have some books in your trunk. Ouch.

I'm sorry, but I think that's a noob statement that a solid publisher would never make. It's our job to sell your books.

And eeek. This is the publisher's background:

  • Independant Agent at United First Financial
  • Project coordinator at Panush Construction and Remodeling
  • Clerk Treasurer at City of Soap Lake
This man has no clue as to how hard this business really is. Don't you think it's important to honor your hard work by putting it into the hands of people who know how to get the job done? This company is so new and they have zero literary footprint. Is it worth possibly losing your book forever? Just sayin'...
 
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dakota

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Thank you for your reply, priceless1. I didn't intend to get into all of the reasons that I signed with rhemalda when I posted but you have made some valid points that I should address. You have said nothing wrong in your post. Knowing only what little I said above, I would agree with you 100% and probably run for the hills.
Without getting into specifics, i would like to say that my contract answers your 5 questions to my satisfaction. His comment about having books in your trunk meant, from my understanding of the information I have gathered, that when he chooses an author, he would like to work with that author on more than one project down the line. I personally plan to have 1 book release and see how it goes. (though they do hold rights of first refusal to my next book).
Concerning his history, you are exactly right. However, in researching before I signed, I have learned how the company plans to promote, distribute, ect. And I am pleased with what I've found.
Hey, I understand this isn't Tor and that there are a lot of risks. As everyone needs to do, I weighed the gamble and decided to take the risk. I may fall flat on my face. Though the rights go back to me if the company goes under, i understand that it isnt that easy. But I may also sell a few books and continue my writing career.
One last note, Once a person is signed with rhemalda, they give you access to much more information than what is on their site. I believe, if they do what they plan to do, I will be pleased with their effort. Their current authors certainly are to this point.
I really appreciate your advice. I'm not disregarding it at all. I only hoped to better explain my decision.
 

BenPanced

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Thank you for your reply, priceless1. I didn't intend to get into all of the reasons that I signed with rhemalda when I posted but you have made some valid points that I should address. You have said nothing wrong in your post. Knowing only what little I said above, I would agree with you 100% and probably run for the hills.
It sounds to me you're trying to justify why you signed with an outfit you have so many reservations about when you know fully well you shouldn't have.
Without getting into specifics, i would like to say that my contract answers your 5 questions to my satisfaction. His comment about having books in your trunk meant, from my understanding of the information I have gathered, that when he chooses an author, he would like to work with that author on more than one project down the line.
No, it sounds like they're going to push you to buy your own books so you can have a few in the trunk of your car to re-sell at a loss.
One last note, Once a person is signed with rhemalda, they give you access to much more information than what is on their site. I believe, if they do what they plan to do, I will be pleased with their effort. Their current authors certainly are to this point.
I really appreciate your advice. I'm not disregarding it at all. I only hoped to better explain my decision.
The highlighted doesn't instill any confidence in me. At all. It shouldn't be "if"; it should be "when". There should be absolutely no doubt if either party that has signed a contract will deliver on the terms stipulated. I speak from personal experience that it ain't easy to shrug it off and walk away clean when you default on a contract; it's long, it's ugly, and it follows you around for years.

Personally? The risk with this publisher is too great for me to even consider ever submitting to them. Maybe after they've built up a track record? Who knows. I'm not calling them a scam, but there's too much at stake for me to risk going with them.
 

priceless1

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Dakota, I'm glad they answered your questions to your satisfaction. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk here, but do you know enough about the publishing business to know that what they're telling you is legit and standard practice?

Most key here is who distributes their books. If he told you Ingram and Baker & Taylor, I submit that he has a lot of homework ahead of him.
His comment about having books in your trunk meant, from my understanding of the information I have gathered, that when he chooses an author, he would like to work with that author on more than one project down the line.
This makes no sense to me. All publishers hope their authors have more than one project in them, but what does that have to do with the author buying his own books and stashing them in the trunk? I admit that a number of our authors buy a few books to have on hand, but it's not anything I ever suggest. And I also give away dozens and dozens of free books, both to the author and their publicists (if they have one). Talking about books in the trunk on a publisher's website is just so...what's the word...sophomoric.

Again, I don't want to be a stick-in-the-eye, but I see so many authors sign away their rights to people who don't have the first clue as to what they're doing. And it's the author who loses. I hope this book you've given them isn't something that will crush you if these guys don't succeed.
 
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dakota

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Benpanced, I appreciate your reply. I have no regrets for signing. Will I next year? Maybe. Who could know? I have already said that i am taking a gamble. I have been on this site for quite some time, though I don't post often, and I have read about most of what you guys are mentioning. I said "if" knowing that if I said "when" I would look like I have blind faith and inevitably the next question would center around how naive I am for not using a measure of caution. I have spoken to their current authors who have said that all of their promises have been kept to date.
Priceless1, you are absolutely right. I have never been published and I know little about the publishing world. I went to a lawyer who handles these types of contracts and he was positive about it. He didn't comment on anything but strictly the contract. He didn't give opinions on the company or anything outside of whether the contract is good for me to sign. About the company sounding sophomoric, you may be right. Again, that isn't how I saw it but we've established my lack of publishing experience. We've established that the company is new. I have not been asked to buy any books to sell. I have been allotted a number of books to be given away as they will be giving away books as well.
About the book, of course I love it. I poured a lot into it and as with any business that you work hard at, if it fails then you would be sad.
I guess my question to you is- what do you consider successful? Is it 1000 books? 5000 books, 20,000 books? What would it take for me to have a successful run with a small company such as we are talking about? I have my own ideas but was curious to how you felt.
I appreciate all of your advice. Thank you.
 

priceless1

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I guess my question to you is- what do you consider successful? Is it 1000 books? 5000 books, 20,000 books? What would it take for me to have a successful run with a small company such as we are talking about?
No one can know how a book will sell. However, in order to have a chance at success, you must be with a company who can make that happen. This translates to whether they have good distribution and routinely get their books on store shelves. Do they promote and market the book? Do they have experienced editors? If they're a small company, do they specialize in a particular genre, or do they accept anything?

Lastly, a very effective tool is word of mouth. "What have you heard?" are some of the most powerful words in an industry that depends on maintaining a good reputation.

As I said, no one can guarantee your success, but being with a successful publisher will greatly enhance your chances.