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[Publisher] Ambassador International (formerly Ambassador-Emerald International)

gracemichael

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Hi,

After sending a query to this publisher, they have asked for, and have accepted, my manuscript. I am a new author. The information I have on this publisher says they are not print on demand and they pay royalties of 10-18%. They have been in business for 30 years and publishes 35-45 titles per year. I have found some of their titles on Amazon but have not yet checked with my local bookstores. However, I am concerned because one of their commitments is for me to also purchase 1000 at 50% off retail.

Anyone have experience with this company. It is not "Ambassador Books" which is listed in the Index .. that is an imprint company of another publisher.

Thanks from a newbie!!
Stacie
 

gracemichael

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Sorry - the title of the company was cut off - it is "Ambassador-Emerald International"

Stacie
 

waylander

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The author is the one doing all the marketing with this crew
 

CaoPaux

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Yeah. How to put this delicately...this site is full of weasel words and half-truths designed to convince Christian writers to not only pay to be "published", but that author-driven marketing is the Way It's Done.

There are differences in the Christian market and the general trade, but the bottom line is that, unless you can walk into a (Christian) bookstore and find their books on shelves that the author did not personally put there, it's highly unlikely you'll sell even a quarter of your "commitment".
 

Momento Mori

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Ambassador-Emerald Website:
Through traditional and co-publishing arrangements we can help you put your dreams to print.

Co-publishing is essentially a vanity press because you are paying to be published. It's a definite red flag.

I'd be interested in knowing how many of this publisher's authors have been "traditionally" published in the sense of being paid an advance for their work.

Ambassador-Emerald Website:
The book world is more competitive than ever. Statistics show the number of new books published in the US has more than doubled since 1996.

This is a meaningless statistic. It's not the number of books being published that's important, it's where and how they're being sold.

Although the website mentions warehousing of copies, the distribution information makes no mention of whether books are stocked on shelves or merely made available to order from bookstores.

I'd definitely go and check out my local Christian bookstores if nothing else to see if this publisher has books there.

None of their "marketing" seems particularly useful. There's no mention of supplying review copies on request for example, or ARCs and the wording is geared around the author doing a lot of the work.

Ambassador-Emerald Submission Guidelines:
List your educational and work experiences. Provide a comprehensive list of previous works you have published, either articles or books. (If you are a first time author, that should not intimidate you from submitting your manuscript.)

Why do they need your work details or education? The only thing that matters is the manuscript.

Ambassador-Emerald Submission Guidelines: (BOLDING MINE)
1. Summarize the content of your book, its theme, its purpose, and its development.
2. Include an approximate word count or length of the book.
3. Indicate whether the book will include drawings, photographs, summaries, bibliographies,
appendices, etc.
4. Indicate your target completion date.

The manuscript should be completed before submission, otherwise how can they evaluate whether it's marketable?

Ambassador-Emerald Submission Guidelines:
Upon acceptance of your proposal, Ambassador International will discuss a royalty structure with you along with a completed manuscript delivery date. A signed contract between Ambassador International and the author constitutes a binding agreement for publishing the work according to the contractual specifications.

So they're not paying any advances at all?

gracemichael:
I am concerned because one of their commitments is for me to also purchase 1000 at 50% off retail.

In essence, you're paying to be published and this could be a lot of money depending on what price they give your book. How are you going to sell 1000 copies of your book? Why aren't they out there selling copies of your book?

Personally, I'd look somewhere else.

MM
 

gracemichael

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Thanks everyone! When I approached them, the information I had was that they were a traditional publisher with "some" subsidy. This is my first manuscript, so I'm not familiar yet with cautionary buzzwords. I am not interested at all in vanity press.

I am so glad I have found this site ... the people here are very helpful!

Stacie
 

Terie

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Good for you, Stacie! You did your research right and asked the right questions.

Oh, and let me give you an idea. I don't live in the country in which my books are published, so I've bought more than the usual quantities from my publisher (at my author discount of 50%). This way, I have books to sell to friends and acquaintances...it's easier than telling them to go special-order them from the bookshop. This is a series of four books that came out in 2006 and 2007 from a commercial US publisher. In three years, I probably haven't sold 1,000 copies of the four titles combined (that is, 250 of each of the four titles). The chances of someone handselling 1,000 copies of a single title? Highly unlikely. Not impossible, but highly unlikely.
 

LadyD

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I am a new author and Ambassador International accepted my manuscript for publication with emails and follow up calls stating the same thing. They wanted money up front since the publishing world had changed and they needed to protect themselves before taking a risk with me. I needed to buy 1,000 books at 50% off retail price. I said "no deal." Just wanted to share my eperience w/ you; beware!