- Joined
- Feb 12, 2006
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Because a new publisher may have good intentions, but be wholly unable to give your book the distribution it needs to get into the stores to make money. Without distribution no one buys your work; no one hears about it.why shouldn't I be willing to take a chance on a new publisher?
That the man behind Black Rose was foolish enough to ever go to Publish America and even recommend them is a huge red flag to anyone who has bothered to Google Publish America + scam and checked the pages of bad press. All it showed to the world was a complete cluelessness about how professional publishing works.
The last I checked he had absolutely NO experience, and that's not what you want in a publisher.
Okay, I just checked again. He's still got no experience.
Good intentions are a wonderful thing, but I've found it's better to go with solid professional experience to get visible results in my bank account.
His resume looks impressive, but he has never worked for a publishing house. Even a few months at a small regional publishing operation is better than nothing at all, and he doesn't have even that much.
That said, rechecking the previous posts should confirm that we asked legitimate questions, some of which were not addressed by him.
We are not failed writers having a bitch session; my 23rd novel will be released from Penguin later this year and my agent's gotten me another editing contract with a major house. I've edited and will again edit NYT bestselling writers (which is pretty damn cool!).
Victoria Strauss is a very successful multi-published author, as are many others on AW. She is also a major name in the fine art of scam busting. If she says be careful, then pay attention.
We don't bash just for the sake of bashing. If things sound harsh, there's a good reason for it.
This publisher with his amateurish site is asking you to trust him with your writing career, and we have concluded that it would be a poorly judged move.
There are more than enough established publishing houses to try first. Always start at the top and work your way down.
It's a rookie mistake to start at the bottom. Small presses are more selective about what they publish since they have a much more narrow profit margin.
But I can't count Black Rose as being a small press. Compare their site to these other Texas publishers.
http://www.darkstarbooks.net/dsb03.html
They have distribution.
http://www.benbellabooks.com/
You will find their titles in the bookstores!
No contest.
And stay away from Publish America. They're so bad that they have their very own sub-forum here!
You are most welcome to hang out on AW and learn from the best.
I wish it had been around when I first started out. I'd have avoided wasting my time on a scam agent and probably have twice as many books in print!
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