• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Mundania Press / PhazE / New Classics Press

Gary Clarke

Knackered
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
1,029
Reaction score
229
Location
Ireland
Website
www.celinekiernan.com
Hi Mark, sounds like you're having a really good ride with Mundania! It's great to hear it and bets wishes for the novel going from strength to strength!


ajkjd, Bob S sounds like a great fellow. How cool that he would take the time to to talk to you guys like that.

Robyn, good luck with that submission! Let us know how you get on maybe?
 

Mark Wakely

Still working on that second novel
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 14, 2005
Messages
201
Reaction score
14

JamesAllen

Registered
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
29
Reaction score
4
Do you know if Mundania still only looks at historical romance if it has fantasy/sf/paranormal elements? It looks as though it's changed on the website to include more genres than before.
Do you know if they will look at gay romance (that doesn't fit in Phaze guidelines)?
 
Last edited:

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess
Kind Benefactor
Absolute Sage
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 11, 2005
Messages
6,704
Reaction score
1,314
Location
Far from the madding crowd
Website
www.victoriastrauss.com
As has been pointed out in this thread, Mundania, like many small presses, has limited ability to market and distribute its books. It seems to do little of the important pre-publication marketing that's so important for book placement (like sending galleys well in advance of publication to top review venues), and relies heavily on its authors to be pro-active in getting the word out about their books. And while it is carried by the major wholesalers, it doesn't employ sales reps or work with a distributor, which for a small publisher can mean the difference between bookstore placement and special order.

Now, sadly, Mundania seems to be turning even farther away from commercial methods of book distribution. Mundania authors recently received an email that begins (bolding is mine):
To help those who wish to carry books to signings, or use them for reviews, entering contests, giveaways, placement in stores, etc., we have made a few changes to help.

Starting today, there will be additional pricing tiers added with bigger discounts. For most author purchases, this will mean that you will be able to make more money on selling your books. Why? Because it is much cheaper for us to provide author copies at a higher discount than suffer the losses from returns when bookstores overorder.
The "pricing tiers" are as follows:

TIER 1 : Orders of from 1 to 9 of the same book get a 40% discount plus UPS shipping

TIER 2: Orders of from 10 to 99 of the same book get a 45% discount plus UPS shipping.

TIER 3: Orders of from 100 to 499 of the same book get a 50% discount plus free US shipping.

TIER 4: Orders of from 500 or more of the same book get a 55% discount plus free US shipping.

I believe tiers 1 and 2 were already in place at Mundania, but Tier 3 has been expanded and Tier 4 is new.

We can all sympathize with the struggles of cash-strapped smaller publishers. And Mundania is at least honest about the fact that the new policies are intended to reduce its financial exposure (bookstore returns are expensive for it because it uses Lightning Source, and must pay for the printing and shipping of all returned books). However, in my opinion, this signals what could be a profoundly negative change in direction for Mundania, toward an author-supported publishing model not much different from the one relied upon by author mills such as PublishAmerica. If a publisher can transform enough of its authors into customers, it has little incentive to look outside its author pool for sales.

Writer Beware has gotten some complaints about Mundania over the past year. These include: authors' questions and concerns being ignored (both in email and on the Mundania author loops), delays in publication schedules, changes in payment schedules, substandard editing, and bookstores having difficulty obtaining Mundania books. Based on Mundania's own description of its sales figures, the average sale for a Mundania book appears to be around 20-30 per month (and I suspect that for some books, that's a generous estimate).

- Victoria
 

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
19,533
Reaction score
22,771
Location
Aotearoa
Thanks for that update, Victoria. It's disappointing that Mundania isn't moving to increase its distribution; that's the key factor I look for when considering the small presses.
 

MundaniaPress

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
59
Reaction score
6
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Website
www.mundania.com
Do you know if Mundania still only looks at historical romance if it has fantasy/sf/paranormal elements? It looks as though it's changed on the website to include more genres than before.
Do you know if they will look at gay romance (that doesn't fit in Phaze guidelines)?

Hey James,

Here is our submission wants:

We Accept Novels, Novellas, and Short Stories
  • Science-Fiction
  • Fantasy
  • Horror
  • Mystery (must be in the sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, or horror genres).
  • Romance (Contemporary, Historical, Suspense, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal, and other subgenres).
  • Erotic romance and erotica will be considered for our erotic imprint—Phaze Books.
  • Historicals
  • Western
  • War/Spy/Action/Adventure
  • Mainstream Fiction
  • Children and Young Adult are accepted (however, these must be in the sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, or horror genres).
  • Short stories must be at least 5,000 words.
  • Previously published or self-published works are considered for re-publication as long as the work is out of print everywhere and your rights have been returned.
We Do Not Accept
  • Poetry
  • Inspirational Fiction (Christian, Metaphysical, New Age)
  • All Non-Fiction (how-to's, biographies, self-help, 'based on true stories', real life stories, etc.)
  • Stories based on someone else's work. I.e., no Star Trek, Star Wars, fan fiction, 'based on' TV shows, movies, or other books (unless you are the original author and retain all the rights—and can provide proof).
  • Screen Plays or Scripts
As far as gay romance that does not fit in Phaze guidelines, we will certainly be open to reviewing it. Not sure what Phaze guideline it doesn't fit, but that's always something to talk about if we like the work.

Dan
 

MundaniaPress

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
59
Reaction score
6
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Website
www.mundania.com
Let me address a few points that have been made on this list.

AUTHOR PURCHASES

We have always allowed our authors, who wanted, to purchase additional books at an author discount. Authors who like to carry their own books to signings have asked us about the possibility of increased discounts if they order more copies. We responded to the requests by changing from a flat rate to an increasing rate of discount and paid shipping for larger quantities. This was well received by the authors who asked for it.

Any time an author decides to sell his own book, this is always in addition to the normal sales through our distribution channels and direct sales.

PAYMENT SCHEDULES

Two years ago we offered authors an optional higher royalty percentage if they wanted to opt for a bi-annual versus quarterly. It was an option offered and a few took advantage of it, while others stayed quarterly.

Recently we implemented our new online royalty system and have now moved everyone from quarterly to monthly royalties. Authors received royalty statements online each month with payment.

We offer three ways for the author to receive royalty payments, PayPal, a check, or direct deposit to their bank. Direct deposits were requested by some of our authors, and we responded to meet their needs.

EDITING

We recently hired a new Senior Editor, along with 20 more editors. Each book receives a full edit conducted between assigned editor and the author. Once that is done, corrections are made and a printed galley is sent to the author and an electronic version to the editor for another review. After any additional corrects are made, an electronic copy goes to a line editor/proofer for a final pass prior to publication.

Should a typo be found after publication, it is corrected immediately. This is an advantage with small publishers.

DISTRIBUTION
We continue to be wholesaled by Ingram's, in the US, the UK, and now the new European Union, as well as Baker & Taylor for library sales.

All of our books are listed in books-in-print and all of our print books are returnable to Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and directly to us.

Since we are listed in all of Ingram's catalogs, with Baker & Taylor, and books-in-print, and because all of our books are fully returnable, bookstores should have no trouble finding and ordering our books. Anytime an author runs into a problem with a bookstore, we call the manager at that location for the author to help facilitate the ordering and signing.

Regards,

Daniel J. Reitz, Sr.
Publisher, Mundania Press LLC
 
Last edited:

MundaniaPress

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
59
Reaction score
6
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Website
www.mundania.com
Gary, while royalty payments calculated on retail or cover price are desirable, many smaller publishers do pay on net. With an ethical publisher, this means the book's retail price less wholesalers' discounts (anywhere from 40-60%).

Less ethical publishers do sometimes try to "Hollywoodize" their net royalty payments. Things to watch out for:

- Anything other than wholesalers' discounts and applicable taxes deducted from net. Some publishers also deduct shipping and handling, which can add up to a lot, and some deduct a whole menu of costs including printing and/or publicity.

- Royalties paid on "net profits" rather than just on "net." That one, easily-missable little word can mean the difference between fair royalties and a pittance.

As I noted, royalties paid on retail are best. Yes, with a higher percentage paid on net, you do make more on books direct-sold by the publisher--but if a small publisher is doing a good job of marketing and distribution, a sizeable portion of its sales should come from third-party vendors.

- Victoria

For clarification: Mundania pays on net. We define net as the actual money we receive from a reseller, or from a customer who buys from our website.

Wholesalers and resellers pay us differing amounts, but whatever is on the check that we cash from them, is entered as the amount received for the sale. Nothing more is ever deducted.

Purchases from our website are usually at retail, or possible discounted slightly for special sales. Every dollar we receive from the sale is reported as the net. That means if a book sells for $13.95 on our website, then we pay royalties on the $13.95. We do not deduct any shipping, merchant fees, shopping cart fees, or the cost of printing the book. We absorb all cost of goods and sales from purchases made on our website. Although it is called net, when we sell from our website it is actually gross on the retail price, or sale price.

Dan
 
Last edited:

kiwiauthor

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 10, 2007
Messages
506
Reaction score
163
Location
In the sunny warmth of the South Pacific
Dan, thank you for posting here, and doing so as thoroughly as you have. It's appreciated.

I have a question. What is stopping you being more aggressive in getting Mundania books on shelves like other small publishers, Samhain for example?
 

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
19,533
Reaction score
22,771
Location
Aotearoa
Dan, thanks for the info.

I'm sorry to sound stupid, but I can't seem to find the information anywhere: does Mundania do small print runs, or do they use the POD model?
 

Doodlebug

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
479
Reaction score
82
Location
Central Generica
Website
www.mscottfiction.com
Now, sadly, Mundania seems to be turning even farther away from commercial methods of book distribution.

I'm very bothered by your post because your quote was taken out of context. As a Mundania writer myself (who received the e-mail to which you are referring), I can say that Mundania is reliable, reputable, and not out to cheat its writers in any way.

In the future, I suggest that you be more careful with your 'facts'.
 

Jonestown

(I have a question. What is stopping you being more aggressive in getting Mundania books on shelves like other small publishers, Samhain for example?)

They are aggressive, and share that info with the authors. I have a Mundania book, and it's been on the shelves at major book stores, and there's never been a problem ordering. The competition for shelf space is brutal even with mass market publications, so you can imagine what it's like with small press. But this doesn't indicate a lack of marketing on the part of the publisher.

Just my 2c
 

veinglory

volitare nequeo
Self-Ban
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
28,750
Reaction score
2,933
Location
right here
Website
www.veinglory.com
I think it is legit to flag an emphasis on selling books to the author as a potential concern. A correction, or providing extra context is great. But a counter-attack with capital letters and chastisement strikes me as more off-putting than reassuring.
 

Doodlebug

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 23, 2007
Messages
479
Reaction score
82
Location
Central Generica
Website
www.mscottfiction.com
Talk about irony, doodlebug. Did you consider that you in turn are taking a statement out of context in answering this way. :)

If I took the quote from Victoria's post out of context, then I apologize. I did not mean to.

My point was simply that the snippet of the e-mail she shared did not accurately reflect the meaning of the entire message. I was concerned that people might have gotten the wrong idea about the publisher from the her post.
 

Melanie Nilles

What're you looking at?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 14, 2006
Messages
369
Reaction score
26
Location
USA
Website
www.melanienilles.com
cooler heads

I think it is legit to flag an emphasis on selling books to the author as a potential concern. A correction, or providing extra context is great. But a counter-attack with capital letters and chastisement strikes me as more off-putting than reassuring.

I can hear Dan's frustration coming through. I can't speak for him, but I can speak for myself. I can understand why you may read his words that way. I think he's emphasizing what those of us who are authors have seen on the private author group in following the changes. Those who aren't have no idea the daily grind that Dan and Bob put themselves through. I can understand why he wrote the way he did. Please don't judge the way he wrote his response as none of us have any idea the tone of voice HE INTENDED. (see? I can use capitals for emphasis too.)

The issue is not about that. The issue is taking positive changes and turning them into something negative, as what happened with what Victoria took out of context (not having had all the background info). Dan and Bob are honest with their authors and hardworking.
 
Last edited:

Melanie Nilles

What're you looking at?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 14, 2006
Messages
369
Reaction score
26
Location
USA
Website
www.melanienilles.com
Already considered that and edited--don't always comprehend possible misinterpretations before I click the submit reply (and it's late). Maybe you could be so kind?
 
Last edited:

brer

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
313
x.)
Victoria,

Here we go again. Using an internal author discussion post to create a sound byte to support your theories that we are bad is nothing new in this industry. It seems it's been the job of many to take down all small press, us included. That way only big New York firms stick around and the number of published authors drop to staggeringly low numbers.

Your guesses, beliefs, and opinions are your own and you are free to post them, however misleading. Just like I am free to rebut your guesses, beliefs, and opinions.

... snipped ...

If you do wish to keep continue your postings against us, that's your choice. You might want to do your readers the courtesy to actually compare us with other small publishers too. You will find that we come out in the top percentile of good publishers all the time. We don't pretend to be bigger than we are; we are a small publisher. We don't do large print runs or use a distributor with salesmen to sell books, although our New Classic Imprint does do that.

... snipped ...

Regards,

Daniel J. Reitz, Sr.
Publisher, Mundania Press LLC

That sounds impressive, that: "You will find that we come out in the top percentile of good publishers all the time."
Is Mundania Press in the top one percent of all good (small) publishers all the time?

I'd consider if "Mundania Press was in the top one percent of all the small publishers all the time" to be impressive, too.

Is Mundania Press in that top one percent?
(And how would that be proved?)

Also, I'm sort of surprised at your (Mundania Press) condescending tone in that post. I know who "Victoria" is by her reputation. And I know she's looking out for the general writer's well being. Now, who are you guys?


x.)

... snipped ...

Those who aren't have no idea the daily grind that Dan and Bob put themselves through.

... snipped ...

In Melanie's post, before she modified it, there was another sentence (near the quoted one) that seemed to imply to me that for Dan and Bob this Mundania Press was a part-time job, besides them having their other full time jobs.

Is that true?
Do Dan and Bob have other full time jobs besides running Mundania Press?
If that is true, then that sounds rather worrying to me.
 
Last edited:

JamesAllen

Registered
Joined
May 30, 2007
Messages
29
Reaction score
4
As far as gay romance that does not fit in Phaze guidelines, we will certainly be open to reviewing it. Not sure what Phaze guideline it doesn't fit, but that's always something to talk about if we like the work.

Dan


Hello, Dan,
Thank you for the reply! I just meant gay romance that is more romance than erotica. It's my impression that if the sexual content of the book is more of the 'sweet' variety, without graphic details, it will not meet Phaze guidelines (and maybe isn't marketable anywhere, anyway, from what I've seen in various small press guidelines).
 

Gary Clarke

Knackered
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
1,029
Reaction score
229
Location
Ireland
Website
www.celinekiernan.com
God. Now my mind really is spinning. I had been absolutely certain that I would sub to Mundania. Then absolutely certain I wouldn't. Now I'm absolutely certain that I have a head ache and don't know what to do at all.
 

brer

Banned
Flounced
Joined
Apr 14, 2006
Messages
1,102
Reaction score
313
God. Now my mind really is spinning. I had been absolutely certain that I would sub to Mundania. Then absolutely certain I wouldn't. Now I'm absolutely certain that I have a head ache and don't know what to do at all.

Write another novel? :)