Dear users,
First of all I want to thank Luca Veste (@lucaveste), Jane Smith (@hprw), and @medievalist because they brang me here. I want to thank you all of you because your comments are gold for us.
I work for Editorial Seleer/Seleer Press, and I want to chat with you about our project. Moreover, I am an Author myself. My job consists on answering emails, receiving manuscripts, managing signings, sending press-kits, and so on. For season 2013-2014 I won't be deciding what manuscripts can be published since there is a Reading Department for that.
I have read your messages, and I agree on:
- The website needs polishing
- The texts from the website need careful revision, and we will work on them very soon. I will start working there by early September
- The idea is not to atract just Authors (I think your definition of "sales pussycat" does not fit on here). At this stage, we plan to publish 5 books per month which is not that much compared to other companies. For the moment, we cannot afford publishing more than that. There will be a section dedicated to interviews for those who want to know more about our Authors. Readers will be able to download first chapters before a book is released. Furthermore, we will upload press-kits and promotional material for each release
- We accept manuscripts from the mentioned countries, but always measuring our budget. Of course we matter if Authors are from one country or the other!! Publishing is very different depending on where you live. We won't publish an Author if we previously know that we are going to have difficulties with distribution
I am new in the press so the website was made before my coming. I have not asked about who translated it, but yes it is awfully done. Personally, I do not like the design because it does not seem compatible with Android, and I cannot see all the pictures.
I am designing a new website. If possible I would like to know your thoughts on it.
I wanted to clarify some things:
- Editorial Seleer have been publishing since early 2012 over 200 titles which you can check on our website. Our books are also available on Amazon, and in other stores such as Fnac, El Corte Inglés, and La Casa del Libro. You may not be familiar with them, but not all publishers are distributed in malls
Someone (sorry I cannot remember the nickname) said that it was contradictory because on our wall on Facebook it is posted "Charbel Tadros is our first Author". Indeed, he is our first Author soon-to-be published by Seleer Press and not Editorial Seleer!
ABOUT SIGNINGS / COSTS / MINIMUM of COPIES
In Seleer Press, our budget is very limited, so we cannot publish every manuscript we receive. We do not want our Authors to pay anything. It is not fair. I have read several comments related to this. I want to explain more explicitly:
To start with, before submitting a manuscript, we have a list of terms (Read our Facebook) in which it says that we need to sell 50 books in the first signing (we give up to three weeks to do so, as we understand it can be difficult in some cases). Between the release the signing of a contract, and the first signing there is a month. A good way of start marketing a book is pre-ordering. We design posters for the signings (which can be managed by us). When the first signing takes place, you sell the copies we have sent you (free, of course!). But in case that some of them remain unsold, we give you up to three weeks to sell them. Another option is to sell the remain copies to libraries of your city or cultural centers, for example. After that time, if you was not able to sell the copies, contact us so we can see what to do with them. In case we cannot sell the copies, we would terminate our contract, and royalties would be paid of those sold copies. We would not retain the rights of your Work.
- About the "Book Fairs picture": for the moment we won't have a stand in a book fair. At least for this season, I cannot travel and represent my publisher as I do not have time (I am coursing my last year at the Uni). It was just a random question. In our soon-to-be opened website, we will publish dates and venues of our Authors' tours
I would be pleased to answer your questions.
Best wishes to all of you.
Pablo Solares
@solaresacebal