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Black Balloon Publishing

Anninyn

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http://blackballoonpublishing.com/

I'm nowhere close to submitting anything anywhere yet, but I am not impressed that I am somehow on their mailing list without signing up, and despite unsubscribing twice they are still sending me emails.

I also couldn't find a thread for them, so thought there should be one. Thoughts?
 

aliceshortcake

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Black Balloon's website is aimed at writers, not readers:

Black Balloon books are risky but not gimmicky, whimsical but never light, intelligent but not precious. We cater to writers who kick convention curbside, who provoke without sentiment, who make the dispicable somehow appealing. We cross platforms and genres—epic memoirs, stripped of psychology, then fictionalized. Recipes expressed as ballads and packaged in collaberative food-music-lit extravaganza. Cities profiled with bizarre personalities. We’re partial to anachronistic characters—hermit architects, pill-popping priests, lacquered dandies with night terrors. We crave simplicity and elegance and have no idea what that means. We take delight very seriously. We are not offended by the hokey, necessarily. We enjoy a nice slap in the face with our breakfast tea...

We’re a small house (two books a year) by design. We only take on what we love, and it’s a deep-seated, hippocampus love—it sticks. We offer a package the big houses couldn’t consider: a personal publicist, targeted marketing plan, promotional trailers and videos, interactive e-books, collage-like apps, and one helluva dedicated editor. Your questions will be answered, your concerns, addressed. Your book will not be dropped, remaindered, or ignored. It will be revered.

http://www.blackballoonpublishing.com/

Their only book so far is a book/CD combo entitled The Recipe Project:

The Recipe Project began as a simple idea: take the recipes of today's top chefs, set them to music, and sing them word for word. The result is a quirky, remarkably catchy CD-book combo that poses some timely questions about music and food.

I think "quirky" just about sums up Black Balloon!
 

Anninyn

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Erk.

I'll admit I didn't look any further than their (admittedly attractively-designed) home page. I just went there to grab the link.

Edit: And not sure what relevance this may have, but all their emails to me so far have been wordless and filled with 'quirky' pictures. This time: Beards and moustaches.
 
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aliceshortcake

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And not sure what relevance this may have, but all their emails to me so far have been wordless and filled with 'quirky' pictures. This time: Beards and moustaches.

I expect they were ironic hipster moustaches.
 

Gillhoughly

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Their editorial guidelines do not fill me with confidence.

epic memoirs, stripped of psychology, then fictionalized.

The first thing I thought of was James Frey.

Yes, he pranked Oprah, got in the news and sold lots of books, but he's still a tool.

They're going to be perfect for somebody who isn't me.
 

aliceshortcake

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We’re partial to anachronistic characters—hermit architects, pill-popping priests, lacquered dandies with night terrors.

I can't see what's "anachronistic" about any of these characters.

We crave simplicity and elegance and have no idea what that means.

:Wha:

I'm not usually a violent woman, but I'd like to give whoever wrote this guff a nice slap in the face with their breakfast tea.
 

DreamWeaver

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hipster%252520kitty%252520black%252520balloon%252520publishing.jpg
 

K. Q. Watson

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The Recipe Project began as a simple idea: take the recipes of today's top chefs, set them to music, and sing them word for word. The result is a quirky, remarkably catchy CD-book combo that poses some timely questions about music and food.

So, they're Vegan Black Metal Chef?
 

GingerGunlock

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Undercover

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Some of their books seem to be doing pretty good. They say somewhere they have book placement in stores, not just online. Covers are nice and the site looks clean to me.

Anyone with more info?
 

Prophetsnake

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I got a request for a MS from them abotuten months ago and never heard from them again. I just sent a follow up email about it a few minutes ago to the address on their site and got an 'undeliverable' message
 

Undercover

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Sorry to hear that Prophetsnake. Sounds a little discouraging. But aren't they new? Maybe they were just getting started with having to organize things. Or perhaps it slipped through the cracks somehow. Have you nudged them before this?

I submitted to a few places and nudged at the three month mark and have fallen into situations were that has happened to me. They either lost the email or never got it on their end, so that could be the case.

I emailed them just this past Oct. on some questions and they answered 2 days later, so they are responsive to things. I subbed right after that, think it was mid-Oct. Hopefully you'll hear from them as to what happened. Let us know. Hope it's good news.

I've also had a sub out for 9 months and finally got the R. So it's not entirely implausible they are still considering it.

I just got another request and they said their wait time is 250 days....wow, yeah. So there's pubs out there that are just slower than others.
 

Anninyn

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They answered me on a query after about two months, claiming they don't take YA submissions. Could be my fault, since I was under the impression they did.

Perhaps an understandable mistake, as their guidelines don't actually state any genres, just that they like the quirky and unusual. Based on what they've published so far it seems mostly non-fiction and memoir.

They've not spammed me for a whole year, and their books are getting good reviews, though I've never seen one in my local Waterstones. I think (couldn't swear to it) that I saw one of them in the window of The Book Hive, our local independant, though.
 

BethanyCM

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They just posted that there were 1500 entries in this year's contest. Results in Feb. ::stares at calendar::