Koboca Publishing / Creative Juices Publishing

[SonoranWriter]

Okay, found 'em. Bear in mind I might be on completely the wrong track here, but things just started adding up to PublishAmerica in my head.

The company is Koboca Publishing.com/. The site is horrible and hasn't been updated in a while, by the looks of it, and the forums are empty (only 12 registered users), so I don't know what to make of it.

In the "About" section the first sentence is "Koboca Publishing is a Traditional Publisher". That phrase was allegedly coined by PA although I realize others have picked up on it. They pay no "upfront royalties" ("advance"?). They're releasing 17 titles this year and are currently closed to submissions. They are located in Tampa, Florida.

Like I said, I could be completely wrong about this, but I don't understand how this writer I know could get an offer to publish from them when he submitted to PA. Why would PA refuse him unless they were associated with this site? However... it also looks like it might just be a publishing company set up to self-publish the guy who wrote two of the four books currently in the store... in which case, I apologize for associating Koboca with PA.

The site is still really ugly, though!

[Mystic]

It looks like that site has been up since March 2004 (the statistics page).

[mdin]

Originally Posted by SonoranWriter

The company is Koboca Publishing.com/. The site is horrible and hasn't been updated in a while, by the looks of it, and the forums are empty (only 12 registered users), so I don't know what to make of it.

Your friend is mistaken. If that publisher is related to PA in any way, I'll eat my shoe.

(I would probably avoid that publisher, though. The person who owns the domain shares a last name with one of their authors, and the word "co-op" appears on the website, and their cover artists make PA artists look like maestros.)

[LeslieB]

Originally Posted by SonoranWriter

In the "About" section the first sentence is "Koboca Publishing is a Traditional Publisher". That phrase was allegedly coined by PA although I realize others have picked up on it. They pay no "upfront royalties" ("advance"?). They're releasing 17 titles this year and are currently closed to submissions. They are located in Tampa, Florida.

Actually, they are in Wesley Chapel, which is a small rural town north of Tampa. In recent years it has become more of a bedroom town of Tampa as the city has expanded north. But we are not talking a sprawling metropolis, so it is pretty much certain that this is a tiny operation.

[CaoPaux]

Originally Posted by SonoranWriter

Like I said, I could be completely wrong about this, but I don't understand how this writer I know could get an offer to publish from them when he submitted to PA. Why would PA refuse him unless they were associated with this site? However... it also looks like it might just be a publishing company set up to self-publish the guy who wrote two of the four books currently in the store... in which case, I apologize for associating Koboca with PA.

The site is still really ugly, though!

Jill Silver is CEO of Koboca (and its "writer services" arm http://www.creativejuicespublishing.com/) Kimbo T. Savino is listed as contact on some of their contest announcements. The co-op part is obviously authors doing photos and illus. for other authors' books. A marginal small press at best, bait and switch at worst.

As for why PA would reject him: even they can only print so many a month, and "reject" mss. when they reach capacity. Also, did he register copyright for his unpublished ms? That sends up a flare for all sorts of "we'll publish you!" offers.

Originally Posted by XThe NavigatorX

The person who owns the domain shares a last name with one of their authors,....

Was that on WHOIS? If so, it's gone now.

[Kevin Yarbrough]

Originally Posted by XThe NavigatorX

Your friend is mistaken. If that publisher is related to PA in any way, I'll eat my shoe.

Nav, I wouldn't be so sure about that. Get the mustard ready.

"Koboca Publishing Co-op
Koboca Publishing Co-op titles are select titles that Koboca Publishing has an agreement either with the author, or with another publishing house for sales in our store."

I wouldn't put it past PA to start selling books here that they released, or others, thinking that no one would catch it. PA wil go to any lengths to steal money.

[mdin]

Originally Posted by Kevin Yarbrough

Nav, I wouldn't be so sure about that. Get the mustard ready.

"Koboca Publishing Co-op
Koboca Publishing Co-op titles are select titles that Koboca Publishing has an agreement either with the author, or with another publishing house for sales in our store."

Do you see any PA titles for sale in their store?

http://www.creativejuicespublishing.com/ is their other arm.

Also, see http://whois.domaintools.com/kobocapublishing.com for whois info, which lists one Thomas Savino as owner. In addition to Savinosolutions.com, the guy also owns several other domains, mostly inactive dating and porn sites. All based out of Tampa Bay. I don't see any traces of a connection.

And I wouldn't put mustard on anything, especially my shoe. I'd probably use BBQ sauce though.

[Kevin Yarbrough]

Nav, it might be a new thing and PA doesn't have any books listed yet in their store. I'm not saying it is a sure thing , I'm just saying it could be possible. I wouldn't put anything past PA, not if they think they can make a few bucks.

If you are going to use BBQ sauce I suggest Sweet Baby Ray's. That is the best I have found so far. And a little advice, watch out for the shoestrings, they tickle when they go down.

[James D. Macdonald]

Merely because a publisher is a small, new, POD doesn't necessarily mean it's a PA front.

[SonoranWriter]

I was only suspicious because, as I said, this writer sent his ms to PA but got a contract back from Koboca, whom he'd never heard of. And was told that $50,000 had been put aside for marketing his book. Both these things are truly bizarre IMO.

[veinglory]

Coincidental spam?

[SonoranWriter]

Heh :/

Well, I will try and find out next time I see him.

[MichelleLDevon]

Hi guys :: waving ::

I'm a long time lurker here, until I saw this thread and thought I'd pop in here and comment. My name is Michelle L Devon. I am a freelance writer and editor and also an author. I have worked with several different publishing companies providing contract editing services to them, and Koboca is one of the companies I am on contract with to provide editing services to their authors. I am NOT their only editor, just one who was tested by them and then offered a contract.

Let me clarify how this works... I do have my own editing company, however, Koboca does NOT refer it's authors to me. Instead, Koboca contracts out the editing services to me, at no expense to the author whatsoever, and Koboca pays me a percentage of the royalties that would otherwise have been profit for the publishing company - not from the author's royalties. They did give me a test before I could work with them, and I had to provide references and samples of my work. It was a very thorough process. I work with five other publishing companies and three PODs who all do the same. This is industry standard for small to mid-sized publishing houses who do not as of yet have in house staff editors. As an editor, these small publishers are my lifeblood.

I'm also one of the authors who had a book of poetry published through Koboca Publishing. There is also another book called the Ex Factor, which is an anthology, in which I have submitted and been accepted for three short stories, under which I used the pen name Michy Anderson. As many writers do, I write in more than one genre, and I have three pen names I use for the different genres. That book is due to be released in October.

My experience with Koboca as an author? I paid NO upfront fees for anything, nor do I pay a fee per book or any such nonsense as that. In fact, *I* have paid Koboca NOTHING. I have a great contract, am VERY pleased with my royalty percentage (was told that they offer slightly better royalties than most due to the fact they can't afford at this point to offer advances). I also received authors copies for myself at no cost.

My poetry book was published the end of April, and I have already received my first quarterly statement from them for this book. My book, In A Perfect World, is available all over the internet through Amazon.com, B&N, and a ton of other places... in addition, the book is sitting on the bookstore shelves of my local B&N and Waldenbooks - and the publisher is currently working on getting me shelf placement at B&N nationwide. I'm listed through Ingram's, Baker & Taylor, Holt Jackson, Coutts, Blackwell Book Services - in essence, all the big distributors. And I've been purchased by a couple of libraries too, which I guess is kinda cool. (is that selling myself enough? Sorry, I get excited.)

Is Koboca new? As a publisher, yes. However, the people involved in the operation and running of Koboca are not in any way new to the industry of writing, editing, and publishing. Would I consider sending them a manuscript for a mainstream fiction novel that I think has major star potential? Probably not right now, but then again, I wouldn't send a manuscript like that to ANY small or mid-sized publisher, because I still have stars in my eyes that one day one of the 6 sisters will pick me out of the slush and make me their next big thing!!! But I am watching Koboca with great interest... one of their titles seems to be doing very well, and if they keep going this route, I am probably going to consider submitting to them again in the future.

The way I understand it when I was considering both editing and publishing through them was that this is a group of professional writers and promoters who were disillusioned with the proliferation of new publishing companies passing themselves off as "traditional" only to turn around and screw the author over with a bunch of hidden fees on the back end. They were also disillusioned with the wealth of authors who are good writers, some exceptional writers, but who were not getting a fair shake with the big traditional houses. Koboca is a dream started to help new authors or those who have already had limited success with being published to get their foot in the door in the traditional market and boost their writing career. One of the owners that I work with seems very keen on helping authors however she can.

I know for a FACT that they are not in any way, form or fashion associated with or affiliated with Publish America... because *I* would not work with them at all for any reason whatsoever if they were. That's just my personal opinion. And I DO check out EVERY publisher I edit for or publish with...

And finally, I can say this, Koboca does not solicit, spam, bulk email, or do any other type of nefarious means in order to drum up business. Their titles that are being published are all word of mouth advertising from people like me who told other authors to submit to Koboca, or author's that the folks running Koboca had met or worked with in their past endeavors and they welcomed submissions. I've referred several of my writing friends to Koboca.

Anyway, that's my point of view. I know it sounds like a great big ad for Koboca, but I was truly very pleased with their services and the contracts I have received. From an author or editor's standpoint, I'd be happy to answer any questions someone here may have. Please remember, I do not work for Koboca. I contract projects with them and have one book published with them and one pending, so I can't speak much about the inner workings other than my experiences.

I hope this helps. I'd hate to think that a publisher that two of my books are going through gets a bad rap, 'cause honestly, that could potentially hurt my book sales and such too, yanno? Anyway, ya'll have a great day! I'm gonna go get me a chocolate shake!

Love and stuff,
Michy

Hi Folks,

It is interesting to see that Koboca Publishing has caused such a stir, when we are such a small publishing house and only recently came into existence.

I would like to address all of the speculation above, to hopefully help clarify some of the comments that have been made. This could end up being a very long post!

I will start from the top and work my way down, although some answers flow well with others:

Umm…we are in no way, whatsoever, connected to PublishAmerica. (That is a very wounding statement).

Yes. The site is horrible and has difficulties in navigation. We are currently in the process of completely redoing the site, which ironically, will be completed next week. This is also the reason why it hasn’t been updated in a while. There are so few members in the forum area, because frankly, no one has bothered to set up the forums. These are people who basically signed up to get updates from Koboca. There aren’t any real forums on the site right now. The site has only been up since March, since that is pretty much how long we have been in existence. We are *very* new, and striving to achieve great things.

Yes. We are a very small press. Tiny, even. Jill is the CEO, titles are needed for incorporation papers. Primarily, she is part owner along with myself and several others. We all work together around here to do whatever needs to get done. We wear many hats and work very hard. As far as 17 titles, we are actually down to 12 (we were a little “over-enthusiastic”). The other 5 titles are being moved back to next year’s schedule. We would much rather take the time and do it right.

Yes. We did use the word traditional publisher. It was only used to differentiate between a POD and a publisher who does not have authors pay for upfront fees. The distinction was also made because we do have a POD division (and yes…that site will be reworked soon too): Creative Juices Publishing. It was designed as a place where authors who wanted to self-publish could go and not have their hearts ripped out and their dreams stolen from them. We just wanted to create yet another avenue to bring good books to light, because as much as we would like to, we can’t afford to publish them all.

Koboca Publishing is also not a self-publishing one set up for the guy who has two of the four books in the store. (And actually, it is five now…and no, the additional book is not his.) Actually, I am the one who started the publishing company, along with Jill. I invited Robert (Bob) Yehling (just resigned as editorial director for American Idol the Magazine, and long time writer/editor) to participate in Koboca Publishing, and he magnanimously agreed. His were 2 of the first three books we produced, primarily because they were good and ready to go. His latest book, Blockbuster, written in association with LucasFilms and filmmaker George Lucas, will be out this fall through Random House.

We have several authors, with a growing list of more (myself included). I wish we could grow faster, and maybe as time goes on we will. I believe that one of you (James MacDonald) met the husband of one of our authors whose title will be coming out next year. When her husband asked if you would “blurb” the manuscript, I cautioned him that her book was not ready to go yet and needed a strong reworking. That is one of the titles pushed back until next year. Even being closed to submissions, we have received a couple of dozen manuscripts. I have tried to give each submission at least a little feedback as to the reason for rejection (we actually accepted one)…because I would want to know “why?” if I were being rejected (and I have been…so I have a clue).

I don’t understand how the writer you know could get a contract from Koboca when submitting to PA either. We have no connection to PA whatsoever. The only thing I can think of is that somewhere along the lines there was a miscommunication.

We did have an author whose first book was through PA, and who had a contract ready with them for his second book. When Bob came on board, he invited the author to publish the second book through Koboca. We could not, and would not, even go a step further until his contract with PA was rescinded. It took some work, but he managed to pull the manuscript, and officially cancel the contract with PA. We then offered him one through Koboca, but I can guarantee that no contract has ever left my desk with a dollar amount of $50k (or any specified amount for that matter) for marketing…my CEO would have my butt for that! It is the closest thing I can even begin to imagine as to what was referred to here. (Sounds pretty bizarre to me too.)

The person who owns the domain is my husband, who runs his own business of web hosting. He does not own the majority of the sites that show in WHOIS…he gets paid to host them. That’s his business. I’ll have to ask him about the porn sites though. He’s been holding out on me.

The co-op thing was just for those authors who publish with us to have another avenue to sell their previous titles. We figure that if they sell those books, more interest will be generated for the titles of theirs we do publish. As for cover art, we have only had one book rejected from B&N brick & mortars for cover art being “unappealing” (the co-op covers are not ours). That cover is being redesigned due to their feedback, and we will pay for the new releases.

So I guess it boils down to no shoe eating, with mustard or BBQ, and as far as things adding up to PA…I think you forgot to carry a one.

Have an awesome day…

Kimbo (Bo) Savino
Koboca Publishing

[Sassenach]

According to Creative Juices site:

In order to protect you, we give a free, short, evaluation on the first 10 pages of your manuscript plus a short synopsis and chapter layout that shows the flow of the story with each submission.

Can anyone translate that into English?

[JennaGlatzer]

Welcome, Bo and Michelle. I'm not going to comment on the business except to say "good luck," but I would like to note for all future people who find themselves discussed on the Bewares Board: THIS is a model of how to respond, with honesty and details and (egads) humor! It reduces our urges to go for the jugular.

[MartyKay]

Aww... where's the sockpuppets and the indignation? :p

Good luck and welcome

[James D. Macdonald]

Originally Posted by Sassenach

Can anyone translate that into English?

"We give detailed rejections."

[Bk_30]

Welcome to the cooler . We love humor here, it helps heal the heart. Thank you also, for taking the time to answer the questions raised here.

[asorum]

Originally Posted by MartyKay

Aww... where's the sockpuppets and the indignation? :p

I can't help with the indignation (yet)

[BJ Bourg]

Although it’s obvious by her reply, I can firmly attest to the professionalism of Bo Savino and the other folks over at Koboca Publishing.

I just signed a contract with them relative to three of my stories appearing in their anthology called “The EX Factor”. Bo has been very professional and personable throughout the entire process. It’s been a very pleasant experience and I'm proud to be included in a book they published.

bjb

[kartim]

Here's my weird experience with Koboca publishing, which made me wonder if it is still in business--but from what I can determine it is. I was offered a contract by Bo Sovino for which I told her resoundingly, "yes." Then I was informed of a computer meltdown for the firm, illnesses over Christmas--be patient the contract is coming. Nothing, then more nothing. I wrote emails--no reply--silence. How unprofessional is that? I even called and left a message--nothing. Even if the obvious exists--a change of business decision--aren't I owed some response? I would caution others, if this is how they do business.

[kartim]

Well today I heard back from Koboca telling me that the reason they decided not to publish my book was beccause I had a bad attitude and had put too much pressure on them. Three emails from me since late November asking them to let me now what was going on with the contract they had promised to send the week of Nov. 11 and nothing from them until now. Ya know POD and the Internet has allowed people to open shops when maybe they should have chosen something else to do. I know that Koboca is a vehicle for one of the owners to have her books published so mabe they should keep that as their business model. I am livid at the finger pointing at me when they have demonstrated such unprofessional treatment. You've been warned. I could tell you more but that's enough.

[James D. Macdonald]

Take your manuscript.

Start sending it around. Start at the top and work down.

Meanwhile, write a new, different, better book.

Always aim high. If you don't submit to the top markets you'll never know when you're writing top-market type stuff.

[Popeyesays]

Originally Posted by Kevin Yarbrough

Nav, it might be a new thing and PA doesn't have any books listed yet in their store. I'm not saying it is a sure thing , I'm just saying it could be possible. I wouldn't put anything past PA, not if they think they can make a few bucks.

If you are going to use BBQ sauce I suggest Sweet Baby Ray's. That is the best I have found so far. And a little advice, watch out for the shoestrings, they tickle when they go down.

I have no experience eating shoes. However Sweet Bab Ray's does make hat and crow palatable. THough I insist on plucking crows and negotiate whether the wager includes hatbands or not.

Scott