New Way Publishing

So you will be working via Lighting Source just as Lulu does? That pretty much answers all my questions other than how your charges rack up against Lulu et al, especially as you characterize what they do sa scam--so one would hope there is a dramatic difference.

Createspace is free, $39 with the pro plan. I think you need to do a lot more research before you make to many claims about how your putative service will compare to theirs.

Yup. Stay klassy.

Its not enough to just say you're different and cheaper. Remember, you get what you pay for and sometimes, cheaper is not better.

How will you promote your authors?

Also, if you claim no rights and an author decides to leave, what is your response? I mean, you put all this time and effort in, surely you want something in return to break even or make something of a profit. Unless you are operating as a charity, which I doubt...

Lastly, I do hope you understand that editing for fictional work is far different than editing for newspapers, magazines or non-fiction work? Not sure I would want an editor that specializes in romance to edit my SF or Fantasy work. (I know some here will disagree, but from what I have seen, if the editor is not familiar with the genre, then they can do more damage than good.) IMHO of course...

You made some strong claims. I was asking for them to be substantiated with information about specific charges for specific services. So far all that has become clear is that you don't actually know what the competition charges and that your bottom line will be what Lightning Source offers. I am asking these questions because I co-run a blog on self-publishing and was deciding whether or not to do a post on your company.

"Anyone who criticizes us is hostile and/or working for the competition." Yeah, that always goes over well.

You can publish with Createspace for free and get a better deal for $39. You are looking at their manuscript prep services. If you really don't know this stuff, well, you should really look into it *before* opening your doors and asking for money.

For the record I make no profit whatsoever from any of the the companies we are discussing. Nor am I affiliated with them on any business or personal level whatsoever. My only self-published book (an anthology of reprints) is an ebook with Smashwords. I am actually currently boycotting reviewing Lulu books because the owner said something I didn't appreciate to me on a forum (specifically that I was probably criticizing some of Lulu's recent changes because I was a stooge for his competition). But that doesn't make his business a scam, it's still one of the better deals available for print self-publishing.

Let's try this one more time, shall we?

The only way to make self-publishing "better" is for the product to actually get the kind of exposure necessary to generate any kind of sales whatsoever. Now how, precisely, do you plan to be "better" than Lulu or Createspace at that seeing as they have a broad market appeal and you are unknown?

And anyone who can write a book can write a press release. Just sayin'. That's not really a benefit considering all the free press release sites out there. What advantages can you give a self-published author that they can't find for themselves?

The web site states book stores can order a book.

While this may be true, the sad reality is that book stores are not going to order the book. Very few self published authors can get into book stores, or have book stores order their work. This is a hard fact...

Imagine that...

NewWayPublishing.com said:

We know we're not their yet.

Click to expand...

I know this sounds hideously nitpicky, but a publisher who doesn't know the difference between "they're" and "their" doesn't invoke a lot of confidence. It makes one wonder about your editing skills. Just sayin'...

NewWayPublishing.com said:

Are you trying to be a jerk? Yes, we are using LS. On its standard package on a $12.99 book, CreateSpace offers a royalty of $1.29. Ours is 20%, or double theirs. That said, as I keep saying, we know we don't have it all down, we would love some constructive thoughts, not your openly hostile ones.

Click to expand...

The thing is, you should have it down before you go into business.

I would also caution you to watch how you conduct yourself on here. Whenever someone looks up your business, this thread will most likely appear. I just thought I'd mention that. This is a very big, and popular site with writers.

I just looked you up on Google. Your site was the second listed, and this thread was the third.

NewWayPublishing.com said:

Are you trying to be a jerk?

Click to expand...

Don't do this. Really.

These questions, from some very savvy and experienced people from both sides of the publishing business (editorial and production), are exactly the things you need to know in order to construct a business plan.

You can't buy the kind of expertise that you are being given at no charge.

Most publishing companies don't last the first year; don't add to the very long list of failures.

Also? The TOS and Newbie Guide apply to you too.

eqb said:

$299 for what, exactly? If I already have a camera-ready book, I could go through CreateSpace for free and get 20% to 40% royalties. Or buy the Pro Plan for $39 and get 60% royalties.

Click to expand...

Good question.

That being said, I'm at a loss to understand why, in a digital age, anyone is still doing camera-ready copy.

The last time I had to produce camera ready copy for an entire book was 1992, and that was only because the text contained mixed Roman and non-Roman scripts.

NewWayPublishing.com said:

Are you trying to be a jerk? Yes, we are using LS. On its standard package on a $12.99 book, CreateSpace offers a royalty of $1.29. Ours is 20%, or double theirs. That said, as I keep saying, we know we don't have it all down, we would love some constructive thoughts, not your openly hostile ones.

Click to expand...

To All,

Given the new dramatic emphasis by most writers to SP e-books, I have in many AW posts said that I believe what writers need is for a group of writers or a respected writer's organization or some other group to come up with a concept and alternative that deals with these issues and offers a solid commercial plan that writers can turn to. The loose talk about "things are changing", "agents and/or publishers will lose out", etc., is simply talk to me if there's no concrete alternative that writers can turn to. And I'm all for such an alternative and wish I had one to offer--I don't, at least not yet.

I'm repeating myself because I was afraid that companies would start to sprout up who lack what's needed and ask for help in their development. As far as I'm concerned that's not how it works. If I am to sign on with a company it will be because of their pedigree and because they have the answers, all of which make sense to me.

brainstorm77 said:

I would also caution you to watch how you conduct yourself on here. Whenever someone looks up your business, this thread will most likely appear. I just thought I'd mention that. This is a very big, and popular site with writers.

I just looked you up on Google. Your site was the second listed, and this thread was the third.

Click to expand...

Though, to be fair, because this site is so big I think you can put in any publisher name and this site will come up somewhere... that was how I found this site, after all - doing a search on a publisher I am considering and noting a thread on here labelled 'complaints'.

Medievalist said:

That being said, I'm at a loss to understand why, in a digital age, anyone is still doing camera-ready copy.

Click to expand...

Camera ready was their term, so I copied it. I imagine they are using that to mean the book is ready to be printed, not literally pasted up and ready for a camera.

(And yes, the last time I created "camera-ready" copy was in 1991.)

areteus said:

Though, to be fair, because this site is so big I think you can put in any publisher name and this site will come up somewhere...

Click to expand...

The problem is not that this thread shows up. It's that the AW thread shows up early in the results, so potential customers are more likely to see this thread. If the publisher reacts badly to ordinary questions and concerns about his services, those same potential customers might take their business elsewhere. That's why he should worry.

Firstly, welcome to AW.

Secondly, please don't take anything said here as uninviting or hostile. Most of the folks here are writers, and when a writer is looking to publish they tend to as A LOT of questions. Believe me, everyone here, from the big six downwards have the same questions asked of them from a writer.

NewWayPublishing.com said:

. Createspace and Lulu are hardly free. The upgrade package to get decent royalties is $600 or more (I'm working on a comparison chart). We know we're not their yet. We want to deliver a better product for authors where we make money but not the ridiculous money all the scam sites like Lulu and CreateSpace do. Please tell us what would work for you and we'll look to adapt.

Click to expand...

Lulu and Createspace aren't free no. But they are more or less free. The cost to publish with createspace is the cost of proof copy, and if you want to upgrade, it's less than 40 bucks. I'm not sure of Lulu's pricing off the top of my head.

Neither of them are scam sites. Infact, they are very upfront about being a printer for self published books. Thousands of people use them, and the majority of them have been happy with what they have. Neither Lulu or createspace promise you anything other than they will print your book. A scam site would promise all sorts of things that they couldn't deliver.

NewWayPublishing.com said:

We will be putting up a graphic detailing us versus other people. And, yes, if you can figure out LightningSource yourself, you don't need us.

Click to expand...

It's not about figuring out another model. A huge amount of a choice is the service people get. Is there good communication? Are the staff pleasant to deal with? Does the company deliver on time? Do they pay on time? All of these questions are just as important as getting the best deal.

I personally would pay more for good service for the exact same product.

NewWayPublishing.com said:

Are you trying to be a jerk?

Click to expand...

*insert claire's standard 'remember you are on the net' warning here. sorry to those who have heard this before*

This is a big site. One of the biggest of it's kind, with a huge community of people and writers. You are posting as a company, under your company name. This means that you have to be even more professional.

That said, as I keep saying, we know we don't have it all down, we would love some constructive thoughts, not your openly hostile ones.

Click to expand...

brainstorm77 said:

The thing is, you should have it down before you go into business.

Click to expand...

This.

This is a business, and you are going to be taking people's money to provide a service. You should have had everything in place before you opened for business.

Yes, that is an elegant cover. Very nicely done.

I'm sorry you feel attacked, but really, the questions we ask are pretty standard. Are the services any good? Are they worth the money? What are the pros and cons of going with a new business vs. going with a more established one? And given that this is a new company, what experience do the founders have, and will the company be around in six months or a year?

Also, can the publisher answer these questions without calling someone a jerk?

Note: I don't work for any publisher. I am an author who has both commercially published and self-published.

thothguard51 said:

The web site states book stores can order a book. While this may be true, the sad reality is that book stores are not going to order the book.

Click to expand...

While the bookstore probably won't order the book for its shelves, they will special order books for a particular customer. I'm pretty sure that's what they mean.