They are a division of Hades. I'm not sure if SMP is still distributed by F&W or not. Sales vary widely. Some do well, others not so much. The awards are a plus, along with the experience. Having worked with DMP made my transition to NY easier than if I'd come into it cold.
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Dragon Moon Press
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The fact that sales vary doesn't change the fact that overall they will be higher or lower than another press.
True. What I meant to convey is that some authors do better than others so one or two authors' income might not be reflective of the range of $$ earned. Same with NYC.
Gotta put in a caveat about DMP. Take with a grain of salt, as they just dropped me from what looked like an iron-clad 8-book contract. They promise professional editing. Ask if you can get any info on the editor you've been assigned. Nope. They're not fast, they're not thorough, and the reason I was dropped could very easily be taken to the ACLU as grounds for a case based on bigotry. The last page of my second book was actually missing text I had turned in, for goodness sake. They never dealt with that despite my turning in a document with that plus another 20-odd copy errors. Others are now complaining they cannot determine how their books were selling (nor could I). My first book went into a second printing. I still have no idea how big their print runs are (nor, I might guess, can any other author). No help marketing, no firm release date so you can plan a book launch. I've seen them deteriorate from a small pub with prospects to one that I think just tried to get big too fast so they can't do any editorial/pub function well, and they've dropped from hard back (part of the reason I signed originally; it speaks better of a pub) to commercial trade --- which really aren't bound very well according to some people I've sold to. So, product of diminishing quality.
Quite the claim
Just alluded to the situation in a post on the Virtual Tales thread. Trying to fly below the radar, as DMP is being kind enough to keep my two books accessible till new pub takes over completely, and the publisher did apologize for the way the wording came out in my release letter (the issue as stated was my religion, but the pub had read book two, loved it, and it was very representative of what they were getting. I feel if that was going to be an issue, they shouldn't have offered the contract. Most comments I've gotten from people of other faith traditions comment on what they saw of their own faiths used to develop the 8 distinct cultures and possibly the sense of moral center/backbone and overall spirituality, not that it's a diatribe for a particular religion. I'm going on for a doctorate in comparative religion and I find amazing texture in the breadth of people's belief. I find using some of this materials gives depth and scope to the characters. Sue me.
Just alluded to the situation in a post on the Virtual Tales thread. Trying to fly below the radar, as DMP is being kind enough to keep my two books accessible till new pub takes over completely, and the publisher did apologize for the way the wording came out in my release letter (the issue as stated was my religion, but the pub had read book two, loved it, and it was very representative of what they were getting. I feel if that was going to be an issue, they shouldn't have offered the contract. Most comments I've gotten from people of other faith traditions comment on what they saw of their own faiths used to develop the 8 distinct cultures and possibly the sense of moral center/backbone and overall spirituality, not that it's a diatribe for a particular religion. I'm going on for a doctorate in comparative religion and I find amazing texture in the breadth of people's belief. I find using some of this materials gives depth and scope to the characters. Sue me.
Given certain other things I've heard about DMP and Hades on AW threads, they're not on my to-be-queried list.
Hey all. I read with interest all the comments on Dragon Moon. I just signed with them. My experience so far is this: Gwen Gades, the owner, is communicative, and is forthright with information. The terms of her contracts are fair, she is responsive, does not drag her heels about making a decision, and she's respectful. The problems she had earlier, she's addressed. She has more than one in-house editor now, and has hired artists, some of whom are pretty big in the industry. She's improved her website, and is re-doing many of her older book covers. Some of her writers have gone onto bigger houses, and she's gaining a reputation for helping writers "up the ladder," so to speak. Yes, she charges $19 and change for her books, but if you ask her for a breakdown, she'll give it to you without qualms, and then you understand why she charges a little more than the standard $14 or $15 that other publishers charge. Yes, she uses POD. Most small press publishers do these days. But so far, I have had no problems with her, or her titles, and her other writers seems pretty darn happy, too. I've had more than one reader tell me that Dragon Moon Press is their favorite publisher because of the type and quality of books Gwen produces. Unlike other small presses, Gwen has been at this for a long while. Dragon Moon Press just celebrated its 20th birthday, and is still going strong. She does not often open for submissions. She is very particular these days about who she takes on, and that's one reason I feel pretty darned honored that I'm now a Dragon Moon Press writer. I know I'm in select company. If you want to work with a publisher who doesn't make promises she can't keep, has more than twenty years experience under her belt, runs a solid company rather than fly-by-night operation, responds to your communications, will be respectful of you and your work, has some hot editors and artists now on her payroll, and has a good sense of humor to boot, I recommend you try Dragon Moon Press.
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Thanks for the update! I went to Amazon and took a look at Dragon Moon Press's books. I thought the covers looked nice, but the sales figures seemed a bit disappointing. I would be very interested to hear of your progress as you go through the publishing process with them.
Dang it! I had the wrong publisher in my last post here. I was think of Double Dragon.
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Check out Jana Oliver, plus Ryan McFadden's latest book was nominated recently for a huge award. Several others have moved on or won awards for their books. Why not ask Gwen? I bet she'll be happy to give you more specifics.
And...this is info on the Aurora Award that McFadden was nominated for....Ryan T. McFadden is a Dragon Moon Press author. http://www.ryanmcfadden.com/the-10th-circle-project-nominated/
Not many small presses have "hot sales figures" -- a lot of how are books do is up to us. Publishers have a vested interested, of course, in our success, but very few small presses (if any) have big marketing budget. Gwen, the owner, does a pretty good job of promoting her writers, but like other small publishers, she's not loaded with cash, so she does the best she can. My book came out in February 2016. As of today, November 28, she's still working to help promote my book, and by the way...she's taking my next three books. I happy about that.
So they, like thousands of other publishers, are listed on Duotrope... what's your point?
The 10th Circle links on the authors page take you to some 10 best listing site. I managed to find the books on Amazon; they're self pubbed by the author under a publishing co called 10th Circle Press. So, not at all related to DMP. And not exactly moving up the ladder of publishers either.
I have never submitted to this publisher. I got the impression waaaay back there when I first saw them, that they were a mill, and so I avoided them. I might be way off base 'cause I haven't checked them out recently. Things might have changed. I hope their authors are happy with sales, though.