Drollerie Press

[JL_Benet]

Have any of you heard of Drollerie Press? Here is some info I found:
http://www.drolleriepress.com/
http://drollerie.livejournal.com/
http://ciarcullen.blogspot.com/2007/...rie-press.html
http://www.ralan.com/publishr/listin.../drollerie.htm
http://joelysueburkhart.com/blog/200...ollerie-press/
http://imogenhowson.blogspot.com/200...rie-press.html
http://community.livejournal.com/re_mused/14460.html
http://www.drollerie.com/
http://serasempre.livejournal.com/
http://www.zoominfo.com/Search/Perso...rsonID=-128256
http://miladyinsanity.wordpress.com/...-deena-fisher/

[BarbaraSheridan]

One of the head folks there is Amy Garvey she used to be an editor with Kensington I believe. She's also a published author.

[CaoPaux]

They look to be in a far better starting position than most e/POD, but marketing and distribution are hurdles for any format. We'll have a better idea of what they can do after a couple laps in six months or so.

[veinglory]

I agree. They are new but I think they look very good.

[heatheringemar]

Very very intriguing. As soon as my urban fantasy novella/novel is done, I think I'm going to query them about it.

[RTH]

I'm not sure I like the "We do not guarantee that a bookstore will stock our titles" statement on their submissions page. I know they're trying to say something like "we're a new, small press, so don't expect to see yourself on the bestseller shelf at Barnes & Noble," but nevertheless it doesn't exactly fill the prospective author with confidence about their motivation/ability to get their books on shelves.

Sounds like great editing, though.

[herdon]

Originally Posted by RTH

I'm not sure I like the "We do not guarantee that a bookstore will stock our titles" statement on their submissions page. I know they're trying to say something like "we're a new, small press, so don't expect to see yourself on the bestseller shelf at Barnes & Noble," but nevertheless it doesn't exactly fill the prospective author with confidence about their motivation/ability to get their books on shelves.

Sounds like great editing, though.

I think the honesty is refreshing. Kudos to them.

[heatheringemar]

Their on-site bookstore just opened yesterday.

God, their covers are gor-geous!

[veinglory]

The covers are nice, as is the honesty.

[heatheringemar]

They just uploaded a rather nice FAQ page, including bookstore/downloading ebook info as well as submission/press info (that's at the bottom).

I've been hanging around their main blog (on the website) these last couple of weeks, making comments and such, and Deena seems to be a really nice person. Already she's listening to feedback -- and responding!

I grow more impressed by the minute.

[heatheringemar]

Well, I've sent them my MS.

Just the other day, I heard from one of their authors that they've been an absolute dream to work with.

[joyce]

I just wanted to add that I submitted to them today. I was instantly impressed that Deena Fisher emailed me back within fifteen minutes to let me know that she received my materials, and is going to look it over and get back to me asap. Though I'm still trying to land an agent for my novel, which is starting to make me feel really depressed, this is my first try directly with a publisher. I found her instant contact refreshing and it filled me with a little more hope. I might still get rejected, but at least these people seem to take the time to contact you.

[LittleGinaT]

All indications are that this is an agency off to a good start. I am adding them to my to-do list. Keep us posted!

[herdon]

I read the FAQ and it had some definite turnoffs in it. They describe PoD as a way of printing, for one. The whole thing about getting books in the store sounds very naive.

I think it is safe to say that they are an e-book publisher. They'll use a PoD model for selling print books, but won't have distribution and probably no marketing for the print side.

[BarbaraSheridan]

Amy Garvey who is part of Drollerie was an editor at Kensington in addition to being a published author now, she definitely isn't naive about how books get into stores.

[herdon]

5. You say on your submissions page that you don’t promise my book will be on bookstore shelves. Don’t you use a distributor?
A. We use Ingrams for distribution. That’s not the problem. The agency that handles ISBN numbers for the US, R.R. Bowker, says: “…U.S. title output in 2006 increased by more than 3% to 291,920 new titles and editions, up from the 282,500 published in 2005. ”
That’s a lot of books. I can’t think of many bookstores that could hold that many. If we publish your book, it will appear on Amazon and other online venues. If you want it in your local bookstore, you need to go to them and ask them to stock it. While you’re there, ask if you can schedule a signing or reading event as well. Promise giveaways, a good show, and some entertainment. Most bookstores (and libraries!) are happy to hear of local authors and want to know you’re out there. Other bookstores outside your local area may put your book on their shelves because they like the sound of it, it’s in their favorite genre, the buyer is a fan of yours, or a number of other reasons we can’t foresee. We like those, and we do our best to get their attention, but the decision is theirs.

You don't think the underlined part sounds either naive or intentionally misleading? As if a bookstore is going to pull out a list of 292,920 books, read the names, read the genres, read the synopsis, and choose ones they think sound good?

[heatheringemar]

That actually sounds like something a small/indie bookstore owner might do.

Not to mention, my coworker who does the collection ordering at our library reads up on books before ordering them. That includes names, genres, and synopses.

I've just received their contract. I'm very impressed with Deena Fisher, and the contract seems fair. Yes, they're a very small press. But, I couldn't be more impressed at this point.
-Rachael de Vienne

[GhostAuthor]

The biggest question I have is this: Is this an e-pub or are all their titles released in print. I'm asking because I've noticed some titles are only available in electronic format while others are in print. And somewhere (can't remember where) on a blog I read an interview where they said not all titles will make print.
Can anyone clarify this?

[Chicken Warrior]

I was under the impression all titles would be released as POD or mass-market paperbacks, at some point, but I'm not 100% sure.

I'm now on Drollerie's list of potential cover-artists. I haven't had any assignments yet, but I was very impressed by Deena's immediate and professional response and feedback.

[batgirl]

Hi Rachael! And congrats!
I'd seriously consider Drollerie for the co-written novel, but I'm not sure how my co-writer feels about e/pod publishing. For one of those covers, though...
-Barbara

I'm miladyinsanity who interviewed Deena Fisher.

My understanding is that with the exception of Jennifer Cloud's novel, the rest of the titles published so far are novellas and short stories, and that they will eventually be collected and published in anthologies.

I do know that their first print title will be Deborah Grabien's Still Life With Devils, available in online and in print simultaneously from December, and I have the impression that simultaneous release is the model that they are working towards.

Hope this helps!

[heatheringemar]

This seems to bode well for them: they are getting reviews for their books from Publisher's Weekly, Library Journal, and Boston Globe (according to Amazon.com).

[Chicken Warrior]

Yup, they're doing well for themselves.

[J. R. Tomlin]

Reading their submission page, they seem to have a pretty narrow range of interest. Of course, that may be a good thing for all I know, but I was a little startled by it. They say they only want to see work based on fairy tales, which even for fantasy seems a little narrow to me. But like I said, what do I know? Darn little.