Contemporary Press (Jay Brida)

Spassvogel · Jan 27, 2009

Has anyone dealt with Contemporary Press (http://www.contemporarypress.com)

They seem to consider a certain kind of novel that most houses wouldn't give a second blink to, but their contract details seemed a bit predatory.

Author gets:
* 10% of the net profits of the book
* 50% ownership of any subsidiary rights of your novel, if sold
* Ten free copies of the book, and discounts beyond that
* Shortlisted for future Contemporary Press publications.

Just about everything else about them is appealing. Those terms just seem like back-door vanity publishing, only you pay through not getting paid, if that makes sense.

Thanks!

Saskatoonistan · Jan 27, 2009

"Fuck Literature"? Oy... I can think of better taglines for a publisher!

Saskatoonistan · Jan 27, 2009

Looking at their submissions, it seems the site needs a bit of an update:

Novels
Contemporary Press has filled our 2007 publishing schedule. Any submissions would not be considered for publication until Spring 2008.

veinglory · Jan 27, 2009

10% of net might well be on the low side, depending on how they calculate net.

CaoPaux · Jan 27, 2009

If Amazon's any indication, their last book was Danger City II in Dec '06. They are/were distributed by PGW, so they aimed to be commercial, but I don't find any current signs of life.

victoriastrauss · Jan 27, 2009

Are you sure it's 10% of net profit, rather than 10% of net? There's a big difference, and the former can be significantly disadvantageous for writers, cutting the percentage on which your royalties are calculated to a pittance. Royalties paid on net profit is always a warning sign, either of an inexperienced publisher or a predatory one.

I checked the PGW website, and they are listed as one of PGW's active publishers.

However, the website seems very out of date (press clippings date back to 2006), and I'd be concerned about the lack of recent publications. Why has this publisher apparently been inactive since late 2006?

- Victoria

Spassvogel · Jan 27, 2009

I pasted the info right from their web page, so yeah, it's a percentage of net profits.

CaoPaux · Jan 15, 2010

Site's gone now, and the principals have moved onto other ventures. E.g., Awkward Press.

Contemporary Press (Jay Brida)

Spassvogel

Saskatoonistan

Still the wrong side of Saskatoon

Saskatoonistan

Still the wrong side of Saskatoon

veinglory

volitare nequeo

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless

victoriastrauss

Writer Beware Goddess

Spassvogel

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless