BeWrite Books / Limitrophe Publishing

Ingrams, Sydewinder (ain't it always so?) But we're currently working a retail sale-or-return deal with their print arm, Lightning Source International. If that comes off, we'll try (within a tight budget) to put together some kind of on-the-ground sales representation to push titles and to start routinely stacking high street shelves, rather than the special-occasion stacking we've done so far; mostly in B&Ms local to an author.

We've been looking at other distribution and wholesale options, too, but -- right now -- they're financially out of reach. And we're just about to experiment with our first short run -- so we'll start to learn independent warehousing and physical distribution from the ground up.

Meantime, we spell out our undeniable limitations before anyone takes a chance with their work. No unhappy campers. Authors tend to be pleasantly surprised by what we can do that we either understate or don't mention at all, rather than disappointed by our falling short of expectations.

That way, I can sleep at night. So can they.

Best wishes. Neil

Does anyone have an update on BeWrite Books?

According to BeWrite's web site, they are closed to submissions, but I sent my query anyway. Within a few minutes, I had an email asking me to send two chapters to one of their editors, Hugh McCracken, who handles their WWII novels. I did and by that afternoon, he asked me to send the full ms. I sent it to him in Scotland and within a week, he contacted me saying he would recommend that their publisher send me a contract. That arrived the next day from their office in Canada.

From what I can find out, and from reading the entire thread from 2005 - 2008, they seem like a good place for someone like me who gets no replies from the big houses and can't interest an agent. I'm hoping someone will have some additional information in the last two years.

Yep, your work really caught Hugh's attention, Robin (he's actually Canada-based but spends some months of the year at his second home back in Dunoon, Scotland). WWII is very much Hugh's bailiwick as a historian. He's also an excellent editor of vast experience. Can't understand why you got the idea we were closed to submissions, though. Wonder if you're somehow hitting our old website. The site was re-vamped -- in fact, re-built from the foundations up -- in the spring. Try http://www.bewrite.net again, go to the 'for authors section, and you should see that we're currently open to unsolicited subs. Agency representation welcomed, but not a requirement. A good round dozen submissions appeared in my own overnight mail. Good luck with the book. Best wishes. Neil

By the way, folks: Just for the heck of it I took a stroll down memory lane through this entire thread (gosh -- it was hard going at times, eh?).

The first post was made at the end of August 2004. That's six years and a half ago. So I guess our very existence today answers some early predictions that we couldn't possibly last on the business model we were operating.

And the huge majority of authors who were with us then are still will us today (as are most titles), providing beautiful new raw material over and again.

Things are moving well -- and still not a suggestion of an unhappy author or reader. We're still standin' after all this time, and everyone seems more than content.

In the past month, we have released six exclusive new titles (in edit for an average of nine months each), which is a huge increase over our earlier schedules that ran to ten or a dozen releases per year. And the editorial team has only been increased by one -- more work, but the same individual attention to each ms. Nothing goes off half-cocked.

We're still working strictly PoD in print editions (and paperback sales grow by the year even on that per-item-expensive production method), but what's really delighted us has been an explosion in ebook sales.

We set up for ebook right from kick-off because we had a strong feeling that there was a shining future there, but this year we've put in a lot of technical and editorial time into carefully preparing titles to a range of digital formats that cover the entire range of digital deading platforms.

We gained additional registration as BeWrite Books LLC in the USA in September so that we can deal direct with the major ebook stores (they disqualify publishers without an 'official' US presence; we're registered in Canada and, previously, UK) and can now offer our own carefully in-house-prepared files rather than accept sub-standard auto-formatting through a convenient US-based aggregator. The result is pleasantly surprising, to say the least.

Author royalties cheques are now what you might consider significant.

We've also secured a sound Chinese agent and have moved half a dozen titles for translation and mass-run print to major publishers behind the Great Wall over the past few months (our authors have already seen advances reflected in their last royalties cheques). More are in the pipeline. We've also secured a Latin American agent moving similar deals.

The workload is 16x7-heavy on the small full-time BB team, but -- even though we still can't afford in-house salaries for ourselves -- we're really steaming ahead. We can afford the expensive equipment we need, the software (don't ask), all kinds of unwritten benefits to authors, retained pro accountant and lawyer, the promo, etc, etc, etc -- you name it.

Ten years' hard slog is now paying off. Had it happened more quickly, I think we'd all feel slightly unformfortable. I prefer to see hard work and good intent rewarded through backbreaking spadework rather than it being the instant result of good luck, crafty business footwork or venture capital.

Thanksgiving tomorrow for y'all on the other shore of the Shining Big Sea Water, eh? Have a great time -- and love to all you have gather around your dinner table.

If you'd like to see an example of an ebook version of a BB title or two (or three), just email me, and I'll send the files over by way of thanks for all the help we've been given here since 2004. It's ntmarrATbewrite.net (use the @ sign, of course).

What a wonderful ride this is turning out to be. Thanks chaps and chappesses. Best wishes. Neil

Ciao, CAO: What you're seeing right now are test pages for a website makeover to be completed and to go live early in January when we re-open to unsolicited submissions. But you're partly right.

When our USA company registration kicked in during 2010, we were able to deal direct with all major ebook stores for the first time. With these and many other new retail outlets, we soon withdrew our ebook titles from Ingram Digital Distribution. The result of that and heavy investment in new technology and retained professional services is that we saw an amazing 98% of sales in digital editions through our own new distribution base in 2011. And our authors were delighted by their vastly increased royalties and readerships.

So there's a special deal on the table for NEW authors in 2012 where we release ebooks first and move to print once a modest digital sales target (750 ebook downloads) has been achieved. When this target is reached within 12 months, we will move to BB print as normal (but at double our usual print royalty rate) OR the author can opt to go it alone on print.

If s/he chooses to take that route or if the target isn't reached, we will return print rights after the first year of a three-year contract and freely provide fully prepared (edited, proofed and text designed), ready-for-print files, including cover, spine and back, and cross-promote digital and resulting print editions.

Existing BB authors and titles in the catalog and those newcomers who have been kindly holding their horses for the new submissions period to open will have the choice of the old model or the new.

Because of pleasantly surprising digital results in 2011 and an increase in ebook royalties from 25% to 40% under the new deal, I guess many will choose to have their print rights and for-print files returned when a title comes up for its annual renewal, but it will be some years yet before we could correctly be described as being 'primarily' ebooks.

Perhaps for three to five years, the vast majority of titles in the BeWrite list will be covered by BB print. Most that are not will carry links to paperback availability elsewhere (something we've already effectively done over the past eighteen months with half a dozen or so non-fiction works on which we hold only digital rights).

In a nut shell, print will now be a by-product of digital editions rather than vice versa.

I hope this outlines a little more detail, CAO. The whole shebang will be polished and fully explained on the new site, hopefully, within the first week of January.

It's taking time because each title will now have its own 'mini-book' presentation with cover and including book notes, reviews, author bio and pic, and free excerpt, downloadable and shareable at the click of a mouse to help with promotion.

Although the updated website will appear streamlined, there's a lot of fancy clockwork behind the scenes so that the site itself, rather than the browser, does the work.

Happy holidays, folks, and here's to a great new year for everyone. Best wishes. Neil

By the way, as a PS to the above; our developments in the digital field mean that we can use our new technical and distributional resources to only a tiny fraction of their potential for BeWrite Books alone. (The editorial and design attention given to each BB title will never allow us to increase release output to any great extent.)

So we opened a new division last month to use our spare capacity to help other established publishers, agencies and pre-published authors who still clearly hold digital rights break into the digital field.

We believe it's an effective, particularly flexible and very generous deal. If you're interested, take a look at http://www.limitrophepublishing.com or drop me a line for a PDF of the full, formal proposal. (ntmarr[AT]bewrite.net).

Cheers for now. Neil

Finally: My apologies for having had to edit the previous two posts. I had second cataract surgery a few days ago, and it went skew-whiff. It'll be a week or two before I'm firing on all pistons and can properly see what I'm doing. Bestests. Neil

And as promised, our new website is now live at http://www.bewrite.net and http://www.bewritebooks.net with a whole bunch of new features and a new submissions conditions brochure that some might find attractive. Best wishes for 2012. Neil et al

A wee note for CaoPaux (above):

Seems your time telescope is more powerful than ours, Cao. BeWrite Books did, in fact, adopt an ebook-only model on June 1, 2012 when we found that online print sales had fallen to below 1% of the total. That the online retail market presents a very different landscape to the general marketplace, including brick-and-mortar stores, is often overlooked.

The deal now is that authors get all the professional benefits of an all-service house and an ebooks royalty of 40%. But on release of digital editions (we ask only digital publication rights now, and not print rights), they also get a ready-for-print file for their own private use.

They can use this fully-edited, text-designed and covered print file as they will, but we also negotiated a deal on their behalf with a major print and distribution company under which they have free print set-up. We have no commercial interest and, of course, this is merely a suggestion to them. They are free to use their retained print rights and the file in whatever way suits them best. We will also cross-promote our digital editions and an author's print alternative.

Best wishes. Neil

neilmarr said:

A wee note for CaoPaux (above):

Seems your time telescope is more powerful than ours, Cao. BeWrite Books did, in fact, adopt an ebook-only model on June 1, 2012 when we found that online print sales had fallen to below 1% of the total. That the online retail market presents a very different landscape to the general marketplace, including brick-and-mortar stores, is often overlooked.

The deal now is that authors get all the professional benefits of an all-service house and an ebooks royalty of 40%. But on release of digital editions (we ask only digital publication rights now, and not print rights), they also get a ready-for-print file for their own private use.

They can use this fully-edited, text-designed and covered print file as they will, but we also negotiated a deal on their behalf with a major print and distribution company under which they have free print set-up. We have no commercial interest and, of course, this is merely a suggestion to them. They are free to use their retained print rights and the file in whatever way suits them best. We will also cross-promote our digital editions and an author's print alternative.

Best wishes. Neil

Click to expand...

Does that mean authors published with BeWrite that have print editions through BeWrite will be discontinued in print? If so, when their print rights were released, were the authors affected released from their previous contract, assuming they were then offered a new contract for the ebook only rights with different terms, such as royalties?

While it's far less likely a that publisher will sign an author if they only have print rights available (ebook being with BeWrite and ignoring other rights such as audio), that BeWrite has set things up for the author to self-publish the print edition of their work, if they choose, is of some value.

Yes, TW, that's right. Existing authors with print editions were given six months to place last orders or ask for a no-quibble return of all rights -- digital as well as print -- before we withdrew print from Lightning Source and Ingram distribution in late May.

They're enthusiastically in support -- as are our new authors-in-waiting -- and regard the ebook-only arrangement with freedom to print to their advantage.

You see, when you consider that we've always had pretty well exclusively on line sales potential -- and our submissions brochure particularly emphasized this situation -- print sales were mostly made through brick-and-mortar stores local to the author rather than sold online to a general international readership. We used to carry the high cost of ARCs, at least half a dozen free author copies, copies for review and contests ... and we supplied author-ordered copies at print cost and shipping only to allow them to on-sell or arrange local retail deals to their benefit rather than ours. The significant loss we made on each print sale was hampering our digital development and, therefore, in the long run, harming the authors themselves.

Of course we realize that other publishers will be reluctant these days to accept a print-only rights offer. So we have -- and will continue -- a twelve-year policy to immediately return all rights (print and digital) should an author land what s/he thinks is a deal that suits them better.

Meantime, for-print files are prepared along with the digital files through the editorial, design, cover and technical process and we send them, freely, to authors at the same time as we send them their DRM-free ebook editions. All authors -- existing or newcomers -- are supplied with these files for their own use (I would guess mostly for local self-publishing and local b&m and author circle sales and family gifts).

Cheers. Neil

BeWrite Books is moving from ebook only to winding down and closing its doors according to its blog posting dated 10/11/12:


Link: BeWrite Books: Turn the Page but Don't Close the Book


The main reason listed is competition with self-published books.


They did put out some good stuff as, over the years, I read and enjoyed a couple of their released titles.

Read through this whole thread until I came to this sad end. Neil, for what's it's worth, you put up one hell of a fine show here over the years and your passion bled through in a very good way. I hope that something arises from the ashes out of all this. So, so sorry to see the end. But I will and can agree with you and your points in your final blog post. About the competition. I see this too. And it's not good for small or large trade publishers.

Best of luck to you and your staff.

Tri

Thanks, folks. We gave it our best shot, working long hours, seven days a week, for thirteen years without personal income, ploughing all profits back into development. But there's no way our dozen or so $5.95 titles a year by unknown authors can compete with hundreds of thousands even cheaper (or free) by other unknown authors who choose to so easily self-publish through all the cost- and quality control-free channels now open to them.

Our professional input, you see, is invisible pre-purchase and -- with such a deluge of new releases now flooding the marketplace -- the majority of browsers have, understandably, become more price- than quality-driven. Few allow time to read the detailed brochures and free extracts we produce for each BB title.

BeWrite Books may be a tiny fish in the pond, but its operational overhead is high, and our share of sales income after retail commissions (average about 35% of cover price) and the 40% author royalty we pay on the remainder quite simply has not been able to meet it in 2012.

We've managed to foresee and adapt to recent drastic industry changes, but one thing we didn't see coming was the knock-on impact of the massive self-publishing trend. A wind-down to eventual closure now appears to be the only realistic option open to us, but with ample time and our help for authors to make alternative arrangements for their work.

Infinitum nihil, I guess, et c'est la vie. A heart-warming parting gift is a whole heap of supportive email over the past week or so since we sent a detailed letter to them all from authors around the world who feel they've greatly benefited. I'm still struggling to answer them all individually. Their writers merit and have come to expect that personal attention.

We've seen two hundred or so titles through to publication and freely helped countless developing authors behind the scenes, so the effort's by no means been an exercise in wasted time for anyone involved.

We'll be supporting distribution and sale of existing titles for the duration of agreements. However, authors requesting an immediate return of all rights will be accommodated on a no-quibble basis and freely supplied with fully edited and designed working text files and with original cover work to help in publication elsewhere, and all other in-house-generated title-specific material we have. Royalties will be fully paid up to the date of a title's removal by third-party retail.

And we've offered to work through to publication and distribution a handful of titles in the pipeline unless their authors would prefer a return of rights and our in-house editorial and technical input so far. So this move ain't exactly a vanishing act.

A sad time for my two fellow editors and me. At our age (average seventy, average pro experience forty-five years), it signals retirement -- apart from the chance, at last, for each of us to actually write those books of our own that have been burning holes in our pockets while we worked on those of others.

Very best wishes. Neil

Hate to hear this Neil. I do know that no one gave this business more of a heroic run than you. I'll always be beholding to you for the great advice and suggestions that you gave me to make me a better writer.

Thanks, Ricky. I know we felt your book was better placed with a more specialised press than with us, but I enjoyed the draft manuscript and our exchanges and still enjoy our continued, if sporadic, contact. Hope our editorial advice was of help and that the work's moving well. Bestests. Neil

Neil Marr 1949-2014

Folks, I think this is the most appropriate place to put this post. Neil spent many hours here over several years answering questions on Bewrite when it existed.

Sadly, Neil Marr passed away late Thursday evening (April 17th) after a brave and untimely battle with cancer. Neil was a dear friend and work colleague and I got to know him particularly well over the past couple of years as an editor, particularly since his Bewrite days.

I think the tone of his comments in this thread (laced with coolness, courtsey and humour) is a testament to the professional gentleman he was. He will be missed.

Go peacefully, Neil. RIP.

I'm so sorry to hear this. I followed his thread on BeWrite with interest over the years.

This is indeed, sad. He will be remembered, certainly.

tri

I knew Neil Marr from another forum, where he was more active than here. A truly decent fellow who cared about author and about readers. He'll certainly be missed by many, especially his loved ones.

Indeed, Neil was a gentleman publisher and until it went horribly wrong, Bewrite was a fine ethical small press. I had the pleasure of working there for a short while. My own tribute to Neil, warts and all, is here http://geoffnelder.wordpress.com/2014/04/22/neil-marr-a-personal-tribute/

I'm so sorry to hear about Neil. I had a book contracted with BeWrite just before they went all-digital, and although we had finished with the edits, Neil very graciously let me out of my contract after the change-up was announced. He was always cheerful, helpful, an excellent editor, and extremely kind to me when I lost my mother in the middle of our edits. He'll be missed.

Great tribute to a great man, Geoff. Back in the day, Neil requested the first 50 pages of my first manuscript. He sent back an extensive edit of those pages with excellent suggestions. He felt that the book was not right for his readers, but encouraged me to keep plugging along toward publication. He was my cheerleader and was truly excited when RIVER BOTTOM BLUES was offered a contract. He read it, loved it, and promoted it. We conferred frequently online. I miss him.