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Soul Mate Publishing

jennontheisland

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Hi eqb,

With SMP I know I'm not going to get hundreds of sales. I don't spend a lot of money on marketing as I don't have the time personally to do so.
My first royalty check was $11 and that's when my first HF was released in mid 2013. For me I was very happy - even though I hadn't done any marketing or real promotion.
This time around it was $20.
As an author, I had self doubt that my books wouldnt sell (still do!) so when one does I'm over the moon. However, saying that, I'm looking to move on from SMP and find a publisher that spends a little more time in marketing.
Consider the time you spent writing that book. Add the marketing time too, if you'd like. Now, divide them income by the time. A tenth of minimum wage? Maybe?
 

eqb

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My first royalty check was $11 and that's when my first HF was released in mid 2013. For me I was very happy - even though I hadn't done any marketing or real promotion. This time around it was $20.

How does that translate to number of books sold, if you don't mind sharing that info? Are we talking 10 books? Several dozen?
 

kelliewallace

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The first time I sold about 15 copies ang the most recent I sold about the same amount, however during this time SMP was paying all royalties 100% in December.
 

Mellanah

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Thank you so much for all this info! I have to admit that I'm a little hesitant. The lack of marketing is a real concern. :(
 

eqb

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...however during this time SMP was paying all royalties 100% in December.

Wait a moment. So you sold the same number of books both times, but the checks were for two different amounts. And that's because they didn't pay 100% of what they owed you that first time?

That's...not good.
 

Kay

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Wait a moment. So you sold the same number of books both times, but the checks were for two different amounts. And that's because they didn't pay 100% of what they owed you that first time?

That's...not good.

Soul Mate author chiming in...
Soul Mate pays quarterly, but the royalties earned must be at least $20 EXCEPT in December when they pay you the rest of you you're owed.

They do some--though not a lot--of marketing on their end. In my research, I found they do more than many of the indie publishers out there. Do I wish they'd do more? Of course.

As I've posted before--Soul Mate is a good fit for some, but not all. I plan on submitting a second book to them becuase it's a sequel to my first book, but as for future novels.... maybe. We'll see.

I've had a couple of bumps with Soul Mate but everything was handled professionally, and partially my fault.

Download and read some free samples in your genre from SMP. Look at the covers. If you're still apprehensive then SMP probably isn't a good fit for you. I've read quite a few SMP books and have loved most of them. There was only one or two that I only liked, and none that I didn't like. I feel good about that.

Like Kellie, feel free to PM me if you have specific questions or concerns.
 

eqb

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Soul Mate author chiming in...
Soul Mate pays quarterly, but the royalties earned must be at least $20 EXCEPT in December when they pay you the rest of you you're owed.

Ah, understood. Thanks for clarifying.

Download and read some free samples in your genre from SMP. Look at the covers.

I did check out a number of their covers, which looked good.

I also checked the "Look Inside" feature on several books and found the lack of editing to be troublesome.

(And I'm not looking for myself. Simply doing what we do in BR&BC.)
 

Kay

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I also checked the "Look Inside" feature on several books and found the lack of editing to be troublesome.

(And I'm not looking for myself. Simply doing what we do in BR&BC.)

If you found shoddy editing, that is troublesome. In the seven or eight (or nine or ten...I tend to lose count) Soul Mate books I've read, I've only encountered the occasional typo--which yes, is bad. But I've never felt the developmental editing was lacking. Perhaps my standards are different, who knows.
 

eqb

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If you found shoddy editing, that is troublesome. In the seven or eight (or nine or ten...I tend to lose count) Soul Mate books I've read, I've only encountered the occasional typo--which yes, is bad. But I've never felt the developmental editing was lacking. Perhaps my standards are different, who knows.

Every book I looked at had several punctuation and grammar issues on the first few pages. The prose also could have used more thorough line edits, imo.
 

AuthorJessicaJ

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Hi! First time poster, long time reader. I have a couple contracts with Soul Mate . I have seen a lot of growth and they have other authors that are published with other publishers as well (Harlequin, Loveswept, Entangled). I've sold a decent amount (few thousand copies) and I am not one of their highest selling. With any publisher you have to do a lot of your own self-promotion. Unless you're on the top tier at another house, you're not going to get a PA to do the dirty work. It's especially important in the ebook business - you're up against millions of books online, you have to promote yourself if you want to stand out. Overall, I'm pleased with their service. They do some marketing (e-magazine ads, Workshop participation at conferences (RT), and on sites like The Romance Reviews.
 

authorMAF

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I received a request to submit my full (my first one!!!), and checked their "about us" section, and it says their books are available both electronically and in paperback - can anyone who has published with them confirm this? I'd really like for my manuscript to be published in print as well as an ebook, so that's why I'm asking ;)


Thank you! :)
 

Kay

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Print books are available as POD if your book goes to print. All books don't automatically go to print anymore. So your book won't be in stores.
 

Chris P

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Stormowl: I've never published with them, but when I was with a publisher who said this same thing, it meant my book was published as an ebook only initially. They occasionally allowed their authors to opt in to print runs (POD, as Kay says) of very limited size which I had to market and sell myself. I honestly don't recall right now who bore the cost of the print run, but I doubt it was the publisher unless they had final yes/no authority over if the print run happened.
 

Chris P

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POD = print on demand; the books are printed as the orders come in.

As you can imagine, this only works for small numbers of books. POD books are not usually in stores unless the author arranges it his/herself, usually in one-off consignments.
 

VeryBigBeard

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Reading through this thread:

If they're not going to do marketing, and they're not going to get the books stocked anywhere, and there are questions raised about the editing--what is this publisher doing to earn its cut of the royalties?

Just a question to always ask.
 

authorMAF

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I've read other small publishing presses' "About Us" and "FAQs" that said they would print on demand only, but this one specifically says it does both, so...basically, my question is: has anyone who's published with this press have their books automatically published in print format or was it the whole POD thing?

Thanks! :)
 

Kay

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All books with Soul Mate go to print with the POD format. My first book with Soul Mate automatically went to POD 9-10 months after ebook release. My first book is available in print. My contract changed with the second book, and now a decision will be made as to whether or not my book will go to POD print 1 year after ebook release.

POD is going to print, but not in stores like you may be thinking. They can be ordered from Amazon, B&N, etc. and will be printed and then shipped. I'm thinking that perhaps you haven't research exactly what POD or having distribution means and doesn't mean. It's worth your time to find out before you sign any contracts.
 

veinglory

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I think you may be confusing what the mean by going into print. As Kay mentions above, the print option the offer *is* print on demand.
 

authorMAF

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ah ok - just read more into the POD and everything - makes more sense now, thank you!


All books with Soul Mate go to print with the POD format. My first book with Soul Mate automatically went to POD 9-10 months after ebook release. My first book is available in print. My contract changed with the second book, and now a decision will be made as to whether or not my book will go to POD print 1 year after ebook release.

POD is going to print, but not in stores like you may be thinking. They can be ordered from Amazon, B&N, etc. and will be printed and then shipped. I'm thinking that perhaps you haven't research exactly what POD or having distribution means and doesn't mean. It's worth your time to find out before you sign any contracts.
 

AAlexander

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I've read posts for a long time, but this is my first post. I'm a published author with several books in print. One of the publishers I was with has closed and I have all the rights back. I'm looking for a publisher who will take previously published works and give them new life. I notice Soul Mate does this. Has anyone had any experience having a book re-published with them?
 
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KimJo

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Soul Mate Publishing, LLC

I did a forum search and didn't find any mention of this one. One of their editors is accepting pitches on the Savvy Authors site this weekend, and it showed up in my Facebook feed. Has anyone had any experiences with Soul Mate, or heard any information about them? Their About Us page doesn't really give much info, but according to the senior editor's bio, the company's been around since 2011.

Their site: http://www.soulmatepublishing.com/