Solstice Publishing (formerly Hearts On Fire Books)

Round Two said:

I looked on your website. Who is your agent? Does he/she have a track record of selling to major publishers (both Big Five and indies)? Because if he/she doesn’t have that track record, and you don’t get that upward movement, it seems like another lateral movement.

Getting an agent isn’t a victory by itself. Getting an agent who can sell your book is. There are dozens of well-meaning but ineffectual people who hang a shingle and call themselves an “agent.” They are no more likely to sell a book than anybody else.

I understand the need for validation, and I can understand what might be appealing about an offer from a publisher--any publisher--but it's important to be realistic about what that offer represents. Folks throw around terms like -- "opportunity" or "foot in the door" without taking the time to realize, objectively, what opportunity is being offered, or which door they're getting a foot into. You can't sacrifice truth for enthusiasm's sake.

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This is insightful here. If you don't know what you're doing, you can easily give a gem away to a small publisher that will only pay you pennies. Why? Just because some agents rejected it? However many agents you sent to? You start high then go down the list. There are so many writers out there that totally forget about the mid-sized publishers, that are STILL good enough to get you into brick and mortar places and an advance.

Hey, and if you're stuck with an agent that also does crap? (this is generally speaking here) Often times that agent will sell you on the idea of placing it with a publisher that you could have done yourself. I see poor authors with poor agents all the time, then poor publishers too? That madness had to stop for me. I am speaking for my own experience here and Eternal and Solstice didn't do it for me. So I moved on, with my work and all. GOT an agent, and Jesus, still hada problem. My first agent was sweet, but she lost interest in 6 months and cut me loose. My second agent was absolutely horrible, I will stand by the fact of what I said on Sheri Williams and that shitty-ass site of hers. NOT saying those authors are shitty. I'm saying Sheri put them with a publisher that they could have done themselves. And they still have to pay her 15%. Sheri didn't even give those poor authors the right attention to the right publishers because she doesn't have the right connections. A bad agent is worse than no agent at all. But a bad agent that places you with a bad publisher? God, in heaven, that writer will never want to write again.

Get this, now Sheri's running a publishing company? Yeah, talk about conflict of interest. So yeah, I would have to agree on Round Two's post in that this is a poor move. And you'll only stay in that poor move until you move on and want better. And OMG, there is better out there. You (as the general audience here) need to believe in your work that much to search far and wide and a good reputable fit. Not take what you can get. Cause you won't take it for long afterwards. Unless you don't care on making money.

I totally burned out two books on this blazing trail of errors and through out two kids books of mine, why? I wanted that validation damnit. Well I got it. Was I expecting all of what that publisher promised? Of course. Did I get everything I wanted out of those publishers? Of course not. Why? I didn't do my research.

But I wanted more in a publisher. And I got more in a publisher. But it wasn't from Eternal or Solstice doing that. It was from me submitting to a better place and striving to do much better.

redwing said:

Does anybody have more recent information on them?

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I noticed that back in 2011, someone pointed out that there were numerous errors on their website, but maybe that's not recent enough, so I checked it out just now.

This is from a blurb for a recently released book called "Golden Boy":

What can the human being faced to happiness of love and the sadness of death?

The novel surprises for the wealth of the detailed descriptions of the characters’ moods of the protagonists and leads the reader towards an unexpected ending and moving Undoubtedly the love, in all its facets, obtrudes scenery and lifestyles.

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Well, maybe I accidentally stumbled on the worst of the lot. Maybe another blurb would actually be proofread. So I checked out a book (supposedly) optioned for film, "Emily's Journey".

Emily loved her child more than anything and it didn't matter her the father was. She chose to keep raise the child as a single mother. When she began to have feelings for Austin, she thought it was best not to tell him about the rape. She wanted to know that he felt the same way about her that she did him. She felt that if she told him, she would get his pitty instead of his love.

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I think these show that Solstice either doesn't know what they're doing when it comes to editing and proofreading, or they don't care.

I can't see any of the major independent publishers or the Big Five being too impressed by this kind of quality.

Counter-clarifying counter-clarifications

Round Two said:

As Old Hack said - there is no "messianic vibe" either implicitly nor explicitly in what I said. And I'm totally unclear where I made any requests for you to spill the details of your life.

If you're saying that in response to my asking who your agent is, that's one detail of your writing life, and it is entirely relevant to the discussion we are having as far as what a credit from Solstice and publishers of its caliber are able to do as far as advancing an author's career. I asked you one question in the entirety of my response and made no claims about fixing your life.

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Well, if it's not only unclear, but totally unclear, and possibly even utterly unclear, then perhaps this is all a question of projected meanings cross-pollinating. For example, one can slice or dice or stand my “thank you Solstice” post on its head, but forward and backward and inside out it can only say that working with Solstice was beneficial for me at the start of my writing career because of A, B, and C. You won't find a hearty invitation for others to follow in my steps and get the same results in building muscle in just three weeks and getting revenge on the bully on the beach.

But you may perceive certain implied things in my post, just as I perceived in yours.

This is a drawback of online communication—the 80% non-verbal mood cues are missing and our minds, depending on the current emotional state, fill in the blanks as they see fit. For example, when I read “totally unclear”, I imagined a typical Anglosax twitchy type of talking, with the constant slight head-shaking and manic blinking. Before that, when I read “You can't sacrifice truth for enthusiasm's sake,” I imagined a strained, hysteric female face, white, around 28-43, in the middle of making a scene.

My agent, my real name, the publishers currently negotiated with—no chance of me publicly sharing that info here and now. Not comfortable with the concept. Maybe at a later point when I myself am clear if and when to own up about my first pen-name identities and their link to the then current one...not to mention my numerous superstitions to do with success.

If I start claiming I'm a superstar incognito giving advice on the forums how to become rich and famous like me in five easy steps—then one has the right to demand proof. In the case of my post here—no such right. What I had to prove I proved with a link—yes I was indeed published by Solstice. If one feels that it is vital, perhaps even totally vital, for the well-being of writers everywhere, that I give links to everything I have published since—PM me. Maybe I’ll oblige.

For now I am bowing out of this thread—since its name is not Round Two and Dondomat clarify and counter-clarify what they meant when they clarified and counter-clarified—if Round Two has further questions to clarify or counter-clarify for Dondomat, Round Two is welcome to use the PM function.

Don Domat will revisit this thread in probably half a year or a year, most likely to once more point out the gateway role of Solstice for him and suddenly start the same conversation all over again with whoever else is burning with passion at the time to clarify and counter clarify.

Undercover said:

I totally burned out two books on this blazing trail of errors and through out two kids books of mine, why? I wanted that validation damnit. Well I got it. Was I expecting all of what that publisher promised? Of course. Did I get everything I wanted out of those publishers? Of course not. Why? I didn't do my research.

But I wanted more in a publisher. And I got more in a publisher. But it wasn't from Eternal or Solstice doing that. It was from me submitting to a better place and striving to do much better.

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I feel for you, Undercover. Bum deal to go through that. Luckily, these are 3-5 year contracts, which is just enough to mature as a writer and revise, upgrade, and republish the initial manuscripts, once they revert, undoing on the way the things the editing folks had done, especially those with the more aggressive blundering approach like at Eternal (of which I have experience). Good luck with moving up the publisher ladder!

she would get his pitty instead of his love

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Is that what the kids are calling it these days?

Queen of Swords said:

I can't see any of the major independent publishers or the Big Five being too impressed by this kind of quality.

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Yeah—being the author of a book that's sold a handful of copies over its lifetime makes selling your next book harder (unless you sell it to the same place that sold too few copies of your first book) than being the author of a book that hasn't been contracted yet. If you're only ever going to write one book and you just want to see it published, fine. But if this is going to be the first book of your career, step back and look at the bigger picture.

Money and career aside, there's also the possibility you'll find yourself staring at the bedroom ceiling some 3 a.m. down the road, contemplating the quality of books yours is keeping company with. You may find yourself feeling you sold yourself short just for the validation of someone—anyone—saying "yes." (And then you start wondering if your book is actually the same quality as these other books; maybe you were just kidding yourself that you were any good.) Been there, still own the proverbial t-shirt. (It helps keep me from repeating the mistake.) If you haven't read any Solstice books in your genre, read some now. Make sure they're the kind of company you want your book to be seen in. It matters come 3 in the morning.

Wow, those blurbs are so blatantly off...that...I don't know what to say. Somebody is REALLY asleep at the wheel here. I cannot imagine my book having such word-smithing on my front or back cover. As. An. Enticement.

tri

triceretops said:

Wow, those blurbs are so blatantly off...that...I don't know what to say. Somebody is REALLY asleep at the wheel here.

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Everything about this press is off. I even found an interview with the following statements from Solstice's CEO:

If your submission is full of typos and things it will be rejected.

We have a big editors staff so each editor is only responsible for no more than 2 [manuscripts] a month.

...our authors read each other’s books and give reviews on them.

Of course the cheaper priced books to sell better than other. Sales is a hard one to determin.

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Yeah. Correction: it's a complete wash.

I wish you all the best too, Don. I can understand you wanting to step back in this thread, but at least keep track of it since it is your publisher.

I hate reading about Eternal, but I still do since I'm tied to them. That one is much worse than this, so you got that on your side.

Oh, and I love the idea of reprints. Now that's a worker B talkin! You might hit it better the next time around. Good luck.

Mmm, new development. When I signed, the contract was short, straightforward and fair: three years, terminates automatically, fixed royalty cut.

Now there's a new "please sign and return" enormous contract being sent around, that is to increase the first contract's duration to seven years and introduces some sort of sliding scale royalty based on sales.

(But it still has an automatic print version of any accepted book, to be made no later than two months after the digital version. No need for the author to pay for this, like with various other publishers, including, if I understand correctly, Musa)

Anyway, if someone out there has already decided that their future in writing is being a Solstice house author -- best of luck to them. Maybe this is the future of a certain strata of indie epubs: a gradual evolution from author-mills to house-author-focused publishers? Zharmae are making a bet on house authors these days, aren't they? Fingers crossed for everyone involved.

I, on the other hand, am retracting, with this new development, my previous "totally not so bad" position on the publisher. The short-term, straight-shooting "experimenting new writer friendly" contract plus automatic print and audio formats may have just been a naive golden age at the start.

I'm still thankful they were my gateway publisher, but now that they've harshed my mellow awaiting of the imminent reversal of my rights, my nostalgic respect for an aspiring indie has been reduced to a mild distaste and a desire to just get away and then never look back.

If a moderator would like a copy of the new contract with blanked out personal info--pls PM me.

Um, what are they thinking? They don't have the market reach to justify terms like that.

I don't see how they can demand you sign that new contract, dondomat, unless there's a clause in the first one which demands it (and if there is, then although I'm not a lawyer my understanding is that if your first contract contains a clause obliging you to sign subsequent "update" contracts there's an argument to be made that the first contract isn't legally binding).

That's awful.

There's no such clause, Old Hack

To the contrary, there's a clause that goes: "[FONT=&quot]There are no warranties, representations, covenants or agreements, expressed or implied, between the parties except those expressly set forth in this agreement. Any amendments or modifications of this agreement shall be in writing and executed by the contracting parties.[/FONT]" As I said in my post, it was a fine, more or less straightforward, short contract.

Keeping in mind that in preparation to the flood of rights reversals that will happen in between 2014 and 2016, I've already taken down my pen-name websites and blogs and am busy pretending they never existed, consigning these early works to semi-oblivion until I decide to breathe new life into them at an unspecified later date, I don't know what the idea at Solstice is, but from where I'm standing someone somewhere hasn't thought everything through. As if someone's strategy is based on the assumption of everyone jumping with glee at the chance.

Or perhaps this is a 'line in the sand' deal which sifts the existing authors into 'with us' and 'not with us'. I wish those who choose 'with us' all the best.

Oh, wow...I'm so sorry to hear this Don. I really hope you and any other author wanting to pull out won't have any problems doing so.

Hope everything gets sorted out soon.

Thanks, Undercover, I'm sure it will

I'm sorry for any misunderstandings on our contracts. Our contracts have been and always will be 3 years for ebook and print. The extended contracts was only for authors who want their books in audio or we have already put into audio. Due to the time and expense of producing an audio book a longer contract is needed. Ebooks and Print books will always be only 3 years. It was not our intention to offend anyone by asking them to renew their contract. It was simply an offer of renewal. As always if anyone has any questions you can email me at any time [email protected]

Fair Warning about Solstice

I’m a writer who recently had the unpleasant experience of working with Solstice. They took every cent I made and told me I never sold a single book despite any proof I had to the contrary. I feel a responsibility towards warning other writers not to make the same mistake.

Forgive me for this anonymous posting but I'm sure you can understand, in this litigious society, why that is necessary.

Seems to be a lot of mixed views of this publisher. I see they got an award on Preditors and Editors, number 2 just behind Wild Rose Press, another company that seems reputable but has mixed press. Is this normal with small publishers - a variety of mixed opinions? I wonder if Solistice has any big sales.

Someone else might be able to explain in detail, but the Pred-Ed awards are often considered to have been largely 'gamed' by press supporters.

Received an offer from Solstice within a few hours of submitting. Don't think they read my full manuscript. Not enough time. But maybe - don't like to presume. They seem nice but left me feeling a bit funny so decided to pass.

A few hours? Wow.

IMO, going with your gut here is a good idea.

Yes, I think so. It was within 12 hours I think. Definitely less than 24. I submitted at night - and the next day it was there, I think not long after I woke up. Although I do appreciate the offer - and seems strange to complain about receiving too fast a response when most of this industry moves at a snail pace! But yeah, decided to pass. I do really appreciate the offer regardless, as it's the first offer I ever received and I'll always be grateful for that - but it left me feeling funny.

A super-fast reply to a query would be one thing, but responding within 12 hours to a full manuscript? Unless there's something extraordinary about the manuscript/author, I can't see any reputable publisher reacting so fast to bump that particular manuscript to the top of the reading queue. And this thread brings out other reasons to be skeptical of Solstice as well.

Marian Perera said:

A super-fast reply to a query would be one thing, but responding within 12 hours to a full manuscript? Unless there's something extraordinary about the manuscript/author, I can't see any reputable publisher reacting so fast to bump that particular manuscript to the top of the reading queue. And this thread brings out other reasons to be skeptical of Solstice as well.

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Good point. I'm still grateful for the offer but it left me wary, so felt I should perhaps mention this here, - and I've seen some people on Twitter be accepted quite quickly too, though unlike me they seem happy with it.

I have been with Solstice for a year now and have been nothing but pleased with their support, their patience and their professional attitude...as long as they still want me, no matter how big I get, I will stick with them for the long haul. Together, the tide will rise and all boats will float!

Pred_Ed is a great site but those awards mean less than nothing. Publishers with horrendous records win often and the past winners are a mix of tiny presses and members of the rogues' gallery. Keep in mind the voting base is mainly created by authors willing to beg for and trade votes (a group I, as a former award winner, used to belong to).