Saturday, August 25, 2012

Small Press

by Kaye George

For my debut here, I promised to go into the types of publishing that I've had experience with.
Actually, I think I've had experience with them all. Today it's small press.

These are springing up like mushrooms to fill the void left by the NY publishing houses, who are cutting back on anything that is unlike what they know to be successful. That's a good thing! Of course, established midlist authors are self-publishing in droves, but others are using small presses. It's a great way to enter the publishing world for new authors, too. The smaller presses are more ready to take a chance on something that doesn't quite fit an established niche. And, let's face it, that's what writers love to write--something new, fresh, different.

I've been with several small presses, two POD presses, one e-book only, one audio-book only. (POD means Print on Demand and produces a trade paperback sized book, larger and more expensive that the mass market paperbacks seen in bookstores from the NY publishers.)

Frankly, POD makes so much business sense, it would seem the only way to go. But the books do cost more, so that's a tradeoff.

Here are some factors to consider:

If you get an offer from a small press, be sure to read the contract carefully. Even then, some of it might be obscure! Some are very plain, some are couched in legalese. Get help if you don’t understand some of it. It's worth it to find an attorney to interpret if you're unsure about some of the clauses.

Some small presses have better terms than others. A 40 percent discount on buying your own books is common. However, I found it impossible to get my books into one local Austin bookstore that insisted on consignment and a 60/40 split (60 percent for me, 40 for them). With me already paying 60 percent on the books, plus shipping, that put me behind at the start. That book store also demanded a $25 fee up front, so that I lost $1.78 on every book sold there! They only did that for small press books, of course, otherwise they would have nothing to sell.

Other independent bookstores have been much, much friendlier. I got a 70/30 split from one, another ordered my books from the publisher.

Some of my small presses pay much higher royalties than others. They don't like the writers to disclose the contract terms, but I'll tell you that they are NOT all the same.

Another area where they differ is cover design. You don't have the final say for any small press, but some give you more input than others. Since so many books are sold online now, I feel that cover design is becoming more and more important. It's catch someone's eye with a thumbnail, but that's what your book has to do. It also has to fit your genre so you attract the reader who is expecting to find what you've written. I'd advise looking at the covers for the small press you're thinking of going with to see if they do it for you. Also, plunk down the money to buy at least a couple of their books to check the quality.

I'm so grateful for the small press experiences I've had, and for the chance to have my work validated by publishers who want to take a chance on my books!

mushroom drawing in public domain from wiki commons, by  James Sowerby's Coloured Figures of English Fungi or Mushrooms, 1803

21 comments:

Elizabeth McKenzie said...

Thank you, this is very informative.

Kaye George said...

I'm glad you find it useful, Elizabeth!

Earl Staggs said...

Always good to get advice from someone who has been there and done that. Thanks for the tips, Kaye.

Kaye George said...

Earl, I could probably sing Johnny Cash's song for him: I've Been Everywhere.

Rhonda Lane said...

Thank you, Kaye. Very helpful. I also bookmarked it.

Kaye George said...

Thanks, Rhonda! In a couple more weeks I'll give my experience with another kind of publishing--until I've run through them.

Sunny Frazier said...

Another thing about small presses: they are more author-friendly. You work closely with people who have an interest in seeing your book succeed. Check and see what kind of marketing help they have to offer.

Sunny Frazier
Oak Tree Press Acquisitions

Kaye George said...

I agree, Sunny, they can be. I think you can get to know your small press people very well as one of their writers.

Debra H. Goldstein said...

Thanks for the comments Kaye....you help explain it all well.

Kaye George said...

Thanks, Debra! I got a question on the math for the bookstore scenario (and that's the only bookstore like that around here!). She thought the bookstore would raise the price above the cover price, but those 60/40 percentages are all on the same number, the cover price. I don't think the bookstore can raise the price, but I'm not sure. I know they can discount the books.

Marilyn Levinson said...

Great post, Kaye. Like you, I've had mixed experiences with small presses.

Kaye George said...

Yeah, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again! There are lots of very good ones.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Hi, Kaye,

I think your advice is very sound and comes from experience. I have worked with both larger and smaller presses myself. My experience with Indy presses specifically Five Star/Gale and L&L Dreamspell have been very satisfying. I can't say the same for all small presses however. As you suggest, it's best to read the small print in the contract!

Best,

Jacqueline Seewald
DEATH LEGACY--request it at your local library

Jean Henry Mead said...

Amen. I've had ten publishers over the years and one small press wanted the publishing rights for the length of the copyright (75+ years). I declined the contract, which you must read carefully. Some publishers are willing to negotiate, others are not. When my main publisher went out of business last year, I decided to selp publish my out of print and orphaned books, and I couldn't be happier with the results. Createspace is a great company to work with.

Kaye George said...

Amen for reading those contracts! If it sounds fishy, hesitate--a lot.

Jacqueline, you've hada couple of wonderful experiences.

Jean, good for you! I think I'll address self-publishing for my next post. I was sort of an early adopter there and love putting out my own stuff.

Marilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredith said...

Good post. I'm happy with the two small publishers I have now, but I'm had a whole bunch of stinkers in the past.

Morgan Mandel said...

I also started with a small press which did POD. Since it was basically a one woman operation, it turned out to be very unreliable. After 2 of my books were published, I decided to go indie. More work, but more satisfaction being your own boss.

Morgan Mandel

Kaye George said...

Think of all the valuable experience you got from your, well, your experiences, Marilyn and Morgan. It's SO nice for find what's right.

Kathleen Kaska said...

Great advise, Kaye. It's always good to hear what you have to say. I'll file this one way.

Kaye George said...

It's good to see you here, Kathleen--thanks for commenting, and for filing me. :)

Kathleen Kaska said...

You're most welcome, Kaye.
I'm just getting caught up this morning on all of these amazing posts. Evidently, I hadn't linked the blog to my email.