Comparing publishers/How to decide between small presses?

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amberhuez

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Hi all. I've had some interest on my novel (a romantic thriller) from a few small presses. I've read up on all the publishers on here (threads allocated to each press) and also googled, but I still can't decide - how does one decide which is the "Best" of the presses to go with? Quite new to this and don't want to make the wrong decision. Thanks!
 
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KMTolan

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Well obviously you can see if anyone's had issues with the publisher in the past year or so on this and other various forums. Google them too. Other ways you can check is to look at their stable of authors for anyone winning an award. Good quality writers often mean a good publisher. Never hurts to see where they are distributed (more the merrier) and what the book cover art looks like.

Kerry
 

Ann_Mayburn

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As far as sales are concerned, if you want to compare the sales ranks on Amazon of different publishers, go to:

http://salesrankexpress.com/

Do a search by sales for the different publishers and you can see what their best selling books are, how their mid-list books sell, etc. Very helpful in figuring out how books from the publisher overall sell, not just their top three earners or whatever.
 

girlyswot

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I would even just go to Amazon directly and search for the publisher. Click through their most recent titles and see what sort of rankings they're getting. It'll give you a good ball park to compare them.
 

brainstorm77

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Choose one that can actually sell books. Lots can go through the motions of publishing, but not all can follow through with getting books to readers.
 

veinglory

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Did you consider approaching slightly larger presses? The ones I recognize on that list had a reputation for sales figures that do not reach three figures when last I considered them. I am all for small presses and publish with several, but there is a limit.
 

Michele Mills

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Question- Would it be better for a first time author to sign a contract with a digital press that is an imprint of a traditional publisher, or to sign with a well established independent digital publisher with higher sales?
 

Deb Kinnard

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IMO (having been now with four small presses), discoverability and distribution are the key. If I were vetting a new small press, I'd find the name of one of their books, then try to scope out how easy the book is to find. What are the e-formats? A single e-book platform would be a deal-killer for me. Also I'd check to see if their contract is acceptable (short term of rights grant, relatively high e-book royalty, etc.). If they cleared these hurdles, and I liked the production values of the books on offer, I might consider one.

A digital press that's an imprint of a traditional publisher better not be any of those linked with ASI, though. Ptah!
 

Captcha

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Question- Would it be better for a first time author to sign a contract with a digital press that is an imprint of a traditional publisher, or to sign with a well established independent digital publisher with higher sales?

I'm not sure there's going to be a firm answer to this - it'll depend on the terms of the contracts involved, the writer's goals, etc.
 

Nightmelody

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Watch for contracts that are length of copyright(with no advance) or that option all your books in the subgenre of the book being considered.
Lyrical Kensington was willing to change the option clause to books in the same series.
 

akaria

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Choose one that can actually sell books. Lots can go through the motions of publishing, but not all can follow through with getting books to readers.

To me, this is rule number one. Think about what the press can do for you. What are your goals for this book? A publisher might accept all forms of romance, but its highest sellers are Regency and you've got a thriller.

Many small presses don't have a marketing game plan beyond Facebook and Twitter. Are you ok with giving them 60% of your royalties for something you can do yourself?

The best publisher for you is very personal. There is no one publisher fits all solution.
 

girlyswot

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Watch for contracts that are length of copyright.

I agree that's a red flag. It's also unenforceable in the US. You ALWAYS have the right to request reversion after 35 years, no matter what your contract says. Personally, I'd want to negotiate substantially less than that, with it clearly laid out what constitutes going out of print etc. Mine are 7 years unless digital sales fall below 300/year.
 

gingerwoman

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Hi all. I've had some interest on my novel (a romantic thriller) from a few small presses. I've read up on all the publishers on here (threads allocated to each press) and also googled, but I still can't decide - how does one decide which is the "Best" of the presses to go with? Quite new to this and don't want to make the wrong decision. Thanks!

I talked to other writers here about who was the best out of the three acceptances I had (in private message) and chose based on what they had to say.
 
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gingerwoman

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Question- Would it be better for a first time author to sign a contract with a digital press that is an imprint of a traditional publisher, or to sign with a well established independent digital publisher with higher sales?
You're going to get lower royalties with the digital imprints of a big five publisher, so that's something to consider. On the other hand there is the carrot that if it does well it might become a mass market paper back, but that is generally a real long shot. It would have to do extremely well.
Edited to add some of the digital first imprints of the big five have great marketing departments while others don't seem to have very good marketing.

Being a "first time author" doesn't make you different from any other author when choosing a publisher.
 
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