new publisher?

[the_faery_queen]

I came across a new publisher who is open to submissions and im just wondering if i should submit!
they have no books on their lists yet, they tell me they're signing on a couple of new authors.
i can see good and bad with this. i mean, everyone has to start somewhere, so i wouldn't hold no authors against them. and being new would mean they'd have more energy, and enthuasism about promoting their writers. and more time to spend with me (should they accept me)

downside is, of course, i don't know anything abotu them or how reliable they are.

publishers who have been around for a while can go bust, just as easily as a new one, so im not thinking about that so much. it can happen to anyone really! but im just wondering, generally, whether it's a good idea to take a chance with a new publisher and see what happens. as i said, everyone has to start somewhere, but with no one on their records i can't really say what sort of publisher they'd be

so new they're not even on preditors and editors from what i can see!

[John Jarrold]

What's their name???

[the_faery_queen]

meadowhawk.

[John Jarrold]

Haven't heard of them...

[the_faery_queen]

well that's cos they're very brand new. no authors yet (tho they say they're contracting a couple at the moment) which is my deliemma really. it's hard to know what to do when someone is THAT new

should add that they are small print. so that's even lmore reason why people wouldn't know about them

[I, Brian]

I think a pointer we've encountered before is that sometimes people set up publishing companies for the wrong reasons - ie, because they're passionate about getting their own, or a friend's, book into print.

The problem there is that a publishing company has to survive as a *business* - and unless they treat it as a business, promote it as a business, run it as a business, and keep it as a business - it's simply good intentions gone wrong.

I think we had similar in another of your threads, faerie, where there's an additional danger of completely new publishers being unaware of their legal obligations, or else of snaring writer's in unfavourable contracts.

Overall, while it's worth wishing any new venture like this all the best, the bottom line is that a decent independent would likely only form because they already had one or more great titles under their belt, and these would provide suitable indicators of how properly the business is managed.

Otherwise, it's just another great idea badly implemented.

Seriously, would you want to risk the complications of going with any group claiming to be a publisher, but with no track record to their name?

Simply 2c.

[Dean F. Wilson]

Here's their website:

Meadowhawk Press :: Publisher - Home

I would have to agree with Brian here on this. With no track record, all we have are a few guidelines for submissions and a mission statement. They have an anthology planned, I noted, so if you really want to go with them, I suggest trying a short story for that first and see how they work with it before trusting them with your novel. Then again, I would personally wait to see their first few titles before even considering that.

-D

[John Jarrold]

Yep, I'd entirely agree. Don't jump too quickly...

[the_faery_queen]

but how can these places get decent books under their belt if no one gives them a go? that's all

well i decided to send them in a few sample chapters, as asked for, and if they want to see the rst, then i will ask for more info and proof of what they're willing to do. and if they don't, then it doesn't matter anyway thought i should at least see what they say. and i have others im sending it out to anyway, so im not pinning my hopes on them. i just thought it better to see if they're even interested before i make a decision.

tho it's likely even if they are interested i may well say no, because they have no track record. but i thought it better to see if they're even interested before worrying and it would be nice for my self asteem to have a yes, even if i don't go with them in the end. (and yes, it may seem like a waste of time, but they reply in four weeks and i have a month before the other place im sending it too is open so it's not really)

thanks for advice tho. i know im going against it, sending stuff in, but it's just a, see what happens first before i decide, situation. not an actual decision

[John Jarrold]

Very often with a small press, it'll be personal recommendation that gets them underway, or they'll be run by people already known to and trusted by the SF community and authors...I'm just concerned on that front. Good luck!

[the_faery_queen]

thanks

[Michelle2]

They've accepted a short of mine (pending edits) and while I agree with the concerns in this thread...

1.Short story markets are hard to come by. It's a tight, tight market, I'll take what I can.

2.From their site, I feel as if they have a grasp of what they're doing. Distribution plan looks decent, they've thought about it which is more than I can say for some markets.

But do they need to prove themselves? Yes and maybe my work will be a part of that process.

Established markets fold or don't pay or don't follow through too. It's all a crapshoot, particularly for us struggling newbies.

M

[Coolhand]

Welcome to the forum Michelle2.
Congratulations on being accepted by this new publisher. Do let us know what your experiences are with them.

[Triceratops]

Yeah, they're spankin' new. We had a thread on them over at AW. I sent some chapters in a couple of days ago, just for kicks and giggles. We'll see what happens.

Tri

[the_faery_queen]

well they're not a short story market, they're novels as well, from what i understood.

and yah, it's true. even established ones fail. nothing is a guarantee