Publish and be dumbed?

[Teresa Edgerton]

One more point before I go off to a doctor's appointment:

Perhaps I am reading to much into what you've been saying, Montague, but to me it sounds very much as though you have already half-convinced yourself to take their deal, and what you are really hoping to find here, rather than advice, is validation/reassurance.

If this is indeed the case, you aren't likely to find much of it here. There are too many people who know what a cruel disservice that would be.

[Montague]

Nope, wouldn't dream of it and have already sated I'm not taking the deal.

[Kissmequick]

I have revised and edited as every writer should, but finding anyone in the UK taking unsolicited material is, as you'll know, hard in the first place.

If you are writing fantasy, then it is very hard to get published in the UK ( ask John Jarrold - how many british fantasy books come out a year? Not that many. How many by new authors - very few indeed. Your book could be very good, but unless it absolutely knocks someones socks off, you won't get published)

Just because you live in the UK, does not mean you are restricted to only subbing to UK publishers. Many US agents / publishers are more than willing to recieve subs from UK authors( I have a full out with a US publisher at the mo, and it's looking hopeful, fingers crossed), and there are far more of them in teh fantasy field than there are in the UK.

Wouldn't you rather explore all legit possibilities before you give it up?

[Montague]

Yeah, I've just been done by the wife for having a grump. I think the thing that's really p*****d me off about all this is the way that the publisher - (Hell with it) Pegasus Publishing - went though all the palava about getting the book publishable and then tried to pull a fast one. Had they suggested c.£500.00 I'd have been seriously tempted: had some troubles of late and the offer when made (without mention of the precise sum) came through as a ray of light.

Okay, well I've been reprimanded at home and had a glass of wine, so I'll stop being such a tart. I've had a letter of interest from Austin Macauley. Anyone know much about them? I've had a look, but they seem pretty light on the ground.

[chopper]

obviously i've just scanned thru Pegasus to have a butchers....

the covers of their sample wares look very poorly designed.
more problematically, the copyright & terms of use pages are "under construction" - these should be the first up & running, imho.

Alongside such celebrities as, for example, the many talented writers whose work is currently acclaimed, we have, some well-known newscasters, the author of a highly popular TV series, an acknowledged martial arts expert, a specialist in English spelling, and a popular gardener. Not only do we publish successful first-time authors from this country but we have many from all over the world.

erm, who exactly?

there's too much fluff & wooliness in their presentation.

[iansales]

Is it this Pegasus Publishing? The appalling cover art on the sf/fantasy titles is a bit of a clue. I've seen better on lulu.com...

[chopper]

i think so, ian. its the only one that seemed to tie in.

& now that you mention lulu, they at least mention everything - including costs - up front. this lot make vague promises.

plus: right now, montague, i'd take Austin & Macauley with a large pinch of salt too. there are no specific mentions of costs, but in their FAQ is a revealing question:

Question often asked of Company – have any famous writers ever paid to have their own books published in the past?

Yes, in the past it was often the case that initially an author had to invest in his own work by the method of having books produced for him and distributed to the reading public: eg

Bronte sisters
George Bernard Shaw
Beatrix Potter

paving the way, so to speak....

plus: both they and Pegasus say that in an initial submission your 3 chapters do not have to be consecutive. hmmm. my writers handbook pretty much insists on consecutive chapters - how does having 3 random chapters help one decide on a book?

s

[Overread]

hmm this was interesting - about half way down the pegasus bit starts:
The Cottage Smallholder » Self Publishing

This reads like a poor attempt at self advertising on the part of pegasus - and it appears that they are trying to appear to be a ""grey" company in that they are normal publishers - but if you are a new author they "cannot take the risk" to publish your works without the upfront fee!
In all honesty as a person starting out looking for a publisher this "sounds" reasonable - till you trawel through the forums (I spent only a few hours looking round for advice today - not after a publisher yet!) and its pretty quick to see how underhanded they really are

[iansales]

It's not self-publishing if your book appears under someone else's imprint. And I've no idea what "subsidy-publishing" is.

[Havlen]

Subsidy publishing is a scammy way of saying vanity press.

[Teresa Edgerton]

When a publisher asks the author to assume part of the risk -- supposing the author is still interested -- there are several questions that need to be answered.

Going by their previous releases, what is the average print run? (This is for books printed, bound, and ready to be sold.)

Do they employ professional copy-editors?

Do they commission professional-quality cover art? (Regardless of an artist's previous credentials as a cover artist, the artwork should look professional.)

Do they have a full-time sales force and regularly send out catalogues to bookstores?

Because unless the print run is a substantial one and the answer to all of the other questions is yes, there is a good chance that you aren't be asked to share the cost but to assume all of it yourself.

Other questions to ask:

Do they have a distribution deal with Ingram's?

Are their titles catalogued by the Library of Congress.

If the answer to both of these questions is no, you are either dealing with rank amateurs or a vanity press.

[Kissmequick]

I've had a letter of interest from Austin Macauley. Anyone know much about them? I've had a look, but they seem pretty light on the ground.

vanity publisher it appears

Austin macauley

sorry

What exactly is your genre / sub genre?

[Overread]

Originally Posted by Teresa Edgerton

Do they commission professional-quality cover art? (Regardless of an artist's previous credentials as a cover artist, the artwork should look professional.)

Do they have a distribution deal with Ingram's?

Are their titles catalogued by the Library of Congress.

Two quick points:
1) I just looked at pegasus's covers (the fantasy section of course) and they are most certainly not professional quality!

2) it might be me being a beginner but those last two points - are they more US specific or are they common throughout pubishers world wide?

[Cottage Smallholder]

Hi Overread

This was a guest post on our blog by a genuine guy who used Pegasus for self publishing.

He has now set up his own publishing company.

[Montague]

Is this the point my head turns into a jack-ass á la Looney Tunes?

My genre? fantasy in a historical setting.