Well, it's no simple thing to get some people to drop their dogmatic adherence to "the way it's always been done." Occasionally, a seismic shift in the marketplace requires a fresh new take on one's business model. Yet is anything more difficult than that?
First, we're a publisher. That's the simplest answer about what kind of organization we are. Yet we're one that operates under a bold new model, because we think "the way it's always been done" in the industry has not always been in the author's best interest. Like it or not, the market is changing, and we've modeled our business to give independent-minded authors a better chance not only to succeed in that market, but to enjoy the fruits of their labors to a greater extent than has traditionally been the case.
The notion that a publisher - any publisher - might break "the rules" is seen as heresy by the old guard, I know. Frankly, we don't care what the old guard thinks. We care what the new generation of talented authors think.
There are no costs of membership. Indeed, there is no "membership." We tend to refer to our authors, editors, and artists as team members because we function in an enthusiastic, cooperative, information-sharing, team environment. That's a matter of organizational management style. Thus, we're a publisher, but we operate in many ways like an authors' cooperative because we seek to make the experience a positive, creative, supportive one for all our teammates. It keeps morale high, and everyone focused on the task at hand.
As to paying for editing or cover art or any other service a publisher provides, who here thinks authors don't pay for those services with traditional publishers? Go ahead, raise your hand; embarrass yourself. Of course, authors pay for those services... every time the publisher keeps 55-75% of royalites paid by retailers.
Authors pay for those services one way or another. There ain't no free lunches, as they say. The only questions are how those authors pay, and how much. We provide authors a number of customized options for that, and we let the author decide. In the end, an author needn't invest money - not a single penny - to publish with us. We'll earn as they earn. We'll succeed as they succeed.
We're in this together, and we want all of our authors to succeed wildly, because only then will we succeed.
The bottom line, if you will, is that authors keep double (or more) the royalties per book sold with us than they would keep with "traditional" publishers -- at least 76% of royalites paid by retailers, depending on precisely which services they require from us. They also surrender fewer rights to their work, and for shorter – far shorter – periods of time.
It's the author's work, not the publisher's. We don't demand absolute rights to his work (again, it's not ours) until he dies, and his children die, and perhaps his grandchildren die. Is there an author alive who thinks that's an attractive proposition, surrendering rights unto death plus 70 years? Never mind whether it's fair, or ethical, or even moral. (I submit that it's none of the above.)
Our authors regain full rights to their work in just 5 years, or they may extend with us at an even higher royalty rate after the initial 5-year contract ends. The author decides, not us. The author sweats, and bleeds, and loses sleep, and decides what's best for her career. She controls her destiny to the greatest extent practical, and we as publisher facilitate, helping her in every way we can, every step of that journey. We put the power of the team behind her.
The specific details are many, and we'll have that conversation if and when we're interested in publishing an author's work, because to do so beforehand would be impractical – terribly inefficient. Every author is unique, deserving of individual consideration. Frankly, we're only accepting new authors at the rate of about 1 per 20 submissions, at the moment, and to have those detailed conversations with the "other 19" would grind our business to a halt.
By the way, that's a high acceptance rate (1 out of 20), historically speaking, but that's been primarily because many submissions have come by way of carefully considered referrals. As more and more cold submissions come in, our acceptance rate seems to be slipping. No surprise, I suppose. Our standards for quality are high... and uncompromising.
Evolved Publishing was created by authors, with authors in mind, looking first and foremost after the interests of the authors. Why? Simple: authors and their work are the engine that drives this train. The authors aren't here to support us; we're here support the authors. As authors, we demand that respect from our publisher. When we chose to be that publisher, we adhered to those firm principles.
We try hard not to throw stones at other publishing options, to keep it positive and above-board. Whatever option an author chooses, we hope they achieve the success of their long dreams. We believe we offer a viable and attractive option for a good number of authors who distrust or dislike the traditional model, but who don't want to go down the self-publishing road.
We offer a middle ground, a bold new alternative. Why does this scare so many? Never mind. Rhetorical question. Change is just plain scary sometimes. Other times, it represents a threat. We get it, and we think authors get it, too. The old guard is not interested in change. Again, we don't care. We care about the authors.