Romance First Publishing

Dani · Apr 17, 2012

A few of the authors I know are signing up to this publisher. I'll let the website and the About Me speak for itself.

>8(

Romance First Publishing

If anyone has any news on this publisher, I'd love to blog more about it. I've already written one post, but I'll be more than happy to write another.

saphirablue84 · Apr 17, 2012

Personally, I'd never submit to a publisher whose website screamed, "I'm using blogger!" Also, no publishing cred is a no go for me.

Plus, the "publisher's" cover...it's just not professional to me. I'm sorry to say that I'd have to pass not only on the publisher but the book too.

BarbaraSheridan · Apr 17, 2012

I have to agree with saphira.

Feedback is always welcome, as I am no webmaster, I'm an author and student.

I would much rather put my work in the hands of an experienced businessperson with experience as part of a successful publishing company--as management not merely an author.

nkkingston · Apr 18, 2012

I really feel like I'm missing something there, like the publisher's actual site. It makes sense as an author blog, or even a publishers blog, but not as the whole thing. She talks about herself as an individual rather than the company as a whole - 'I pay this' and 'my friend does that' - which makes it feel very chummy but entirely unprofessional. She's got some distribution and a few review contacts, and the covers aren't the worst I've seen for a set up like this, but it's all so cheerfully amateur. Kinda makes me wonder about the contract; is that amateur too?

Marian Perera · Apr 18, 2012

The publisher says she's got "10 works to [her] credit, including a bestseller", so I put her name into Amazon to check this out. One of her books was first released by PublishAmerica and then by Lulu. After that she's got a book released by Silver Publishing and seven or more by CreateSpace.

There's no indication of which book was the bestseller or by what standards it was a bestseller.

And as nkkingston said, it's amateur hour:

Have a work in progress that may fit the criteria for RFP? Send it along...we'd love to see it!

ETA : Enjoying your blog post, Dani!

jennontheisland · Apr 18, 2012

Dani said:
A few of the authors I know are signing up to this publisher.

WTF? Why?

Dani · Apr 18, 2012

saphirablue84 said:
Personally, I'd never submit to a publisher whose website screamed, "I'm using blogger!" Also, no publishing cred is a no go for me.

Plus, the "publisher's" cover...it's just not professional to me. I'm sorry to say that I'd have to pass not only on the publisher but the book too.

I felt the same way, Saphira. It wasn't just the "blogger" use, but also the "About Me" was really about HER. It's a publishing firm and instead of explaining about publishing, she goes on about herself and her books. >8(

nkkingston said:
I really feel like I'm missing something there, like the publisher's actual site. It makes sense as an author blog, or even a publishers blog, but not as the whole thing. She talks about herself as an individual rather than the company as a whole - 'I pay this' and 'my friend does that' - which makes it feel very chummy but entirely unprofessional. She's got some distribution and a few review contacts, and the covers aren't the worst I've seen for a set up like this, but it's all so cheerfully amateur. Kinda makes me wonder about the contract; is that amateur too?

The thing about this is that she will take money from authors and that makes me so angry. And she seems to be affiliated with No Boundaries publishing which doesn't seem much more professional.

EDited to add: I made a mistake in the website. The one that closed was No Boundaries Publishing, not No Boundaries Press. So I can quote their submissions page:

No Boundaries Press will be having special days that we will allow for pitches. Be watching our blog and Facebook locations for details. Please be certain to follow pitch guidelines when these opportunity’s are available.

Have the rights back to your book and want to publish with No Boundaries Press?

Mail to: [email protected]

Queen of Swords said:
The publisher says she's got "10 works to [her] credit, including a bestseller", so I put her name into Amazon to check this out. One of her books was first released by PublishAmerica and then by Lulu. After that she's got a book released by Silver Publishing and seven or more by CreateSpace.

There's no indication of which book was the bestseller or by what standards it was a bestseller.

And as nkkingston said, it's amateur hour:

ETA : Enjoying your blog post, Dani!

Thanks Queen, I get so angry at the thought of publishers taking advantage of authors and this seems to be just someone who is amateur enough to really smother a career and maybe crush a few because the outcome would be terrible.

jennontheisland said:
WTF? Why?

Jenn, I don't know. But these are fairly promising authors who really could be great with guidance. I've read some of their stuff and they're great storytellers.

michael_b · Apr 18, 2012

Dani said:
A few of the authors I know are signing up to this publisher. I'll let the website and the About Me speak for itself.

>8(

Romance First Publishing

If anyone has any news on this publisher, I'd love to blog more about it. I've already written one post, but I'll be more than happy to write another.

I recognize the names of a few of the authors, one--Julie Lynn Hayes--is a Facebook friend of mine. She writes m/m too so we run in the same circles.

Dani · Apr 18, 2012

michael_b said:
I recognize the names of a few of the authors, one--Julie Lynn Hayes--is a Facebook friend of mine. She writes m/m too so we run in the same circles.

if you have a chance to ask her about it I'd really like to hear why she chose this publisher.

I think I'm so angry because it's yet another weight on the m/m community--these amateur publishers, I mean. If all it takes is a blogger and ten books to be a publisher...

michael_b · Apr 18, 2012

Dani said:
If all it takes is a blogger and ten books to be a publisher...

The blogger thing is a bit concerning. If they don't have the money to pay for a website, well that's a bad sign. It may also be they're trying to find an appropriate hosting service and are using blogger until they find one. Keep in mind not every hosting service allows adult content, and many are unreliable so selecting a web provider is a tricky business.

The number of books isn't, IMO, an issue, especially at start up. Every publisher has to start somewhere. Personally I'd be more concerned about a brand new publisher with dozens of books listed before they opened their doors as it could be a sign of an 'author mill' and those should always be avoided.

Dani · Apr 18, 2012

michael_b said:
The blogger thing is a bit concerning. If they don't have the money to pay for a website, well that's a bad sign. It may also be they're trying to find an appropriate hosting service and are using blogger until they find one. Keep in mind not every hosting service allows adult content, and many are unreliable so selecting a web provider is a tricky business.

The number of books isn't, IMO, an issue, especially at start up. Every publisher has to start somewhere. Personally I'd be more concerned about a brand new publisher with dozens of books listed before they opened their doors as it could be a sign of an 'author mill' and those should always be avoided.

When I say books, I"m talking about the publisher herself. That's how many books she's published. Almost all self-published, btw. So what that means is that the sam eperson who wrote these blurbs:

Sid was in trouble; he'd be wronged in every way one could be. His farm was failing, his lover had left with no warning, and the mortgage is 6 months overdue.

Desperate and pushed by the bank, he hires a live-in boarder, Roger. Unbeknown to Sid, Roger has just escaped his own personal hell and is grateful for the opportunity and new surroundings.

Things are not rosy, however. Neither man will tell the other their secrets due to a huge lack of trust of people in general, especially other men. They have a few incidents, including a couple with the town deadbeat, Jerry.

Finally, an ultimatum is issued. Will things turn around? What will become of the farm and all the hard work? Can these two work past the problems and sow the seeds of love instead of anger?

and

Scott Williams, the brilliant math tutor is all grown up and in college. He’s anxious to move forward with his schooling and his life in general. He’s also thrilled to have lost over 50 pounds in less than a year!

His boyfriend, Jared Adamson, is also with him at the same school. They became promised over the summer and look forward to getting through college and spending the rest of their lives together.

Freshman year goes smoothly, but when sophomore year arrives, everything is turned upside-down. Scott takes up tutoring again and meets a young, shy fellow math tutor named Daniel. Jared is also tempted with the older, very handsome and fiery-haired Taylor who becomes his psychology tutor.

The couple gets their first true dose of real life away from their parents and also of true jealousy. Both Daniel and Taylor present a dilemma for the happy couple as do demands for each other’s time! Emotional arguments break out and for the first time in their relationship, they deal with uncertainty over their future together. Finally, after a tumultuous argument, the two break up! What happens next? Will this couple survive these four years together, or will they be just a memory to each other?

Will be responsible for writing blurbs and/or approving them since she is the publisher. Her and her alone.

The blogger lists no editors, it doesn't list any credentials in publishing, and, in fact, the "About Me" page is really about her. Not the publishing company at all. There's even a "Hey look at my book" section on that portion of the website.

I'm concerned for the authors singing their book rights over to this "publisher", even if it's for a short period of time.

Fallen · Apr 18, 2012

michael_b said:
Personally I'd be more concerned about a brand new publisher with dozens of books listed before they opened their doors as it could be a sign of an 'author mill' and those should always be avoided.

Mike, what's an 'author mill'?

Marian Perera · Apr 18, 2012

The literary equivalent of a diploma mill or a puppy mill. Churns out Published Authors with little to no concern/awareness of quality. PublishAmerica is a typical example of this.

Check out Victoria Strauss's Author Mills article on SFWA for more info.

Fallen · Apr 18, 2012

Queen of Swords said:
The literary equivalent of a diploma mill or a puppy mill. Churns out Published Authors with little to no concern/awareness of quality. PublishAmerica is a typical example of this.

Check out Victoria Strauss's Author Mills article on SFWA for more info.

Ah, thank you, Queen! It's not a term I'd heard before.

BenPanced · Apr 18, 2012

My concern?

They're a publisher and there's NO WAY for you to purchase books on the site. Anywhere. You click on the cover? It just enlarges the thumbnail. That's it. I couldn't find a BUY ME! link at all, unless none of the books are currently available. If that's the case, they seriously need to let people know release dates.

Dani · Apr 18, 2012

BenPanced said:
My concern?

They're a publisher and there's NO WAY for you to purchase books on the site. Anywhere. You click on the cover? It just enlarges the thumbnail. That's it. I couldn't find a BUY ME! link at all, unless none of the books are currently available. If that's the case, they seriously need to let people know release dates.

It's scary how very unprofessional that site is and that, at the same time, the "publisher" is asking for submissions. <8(

michael_b · Apr 18, 2012

BenPanced said:
My concern?

They're a publisher and there's NO WAY for you to purchase books on the site. Anywhere. You click on the cover? It just enlarges the thumbnail. That's it. I couldn't find a BUY ME! link at all, unless none of the books are currently available. If that's the case, they seriously need to let people know release dates.

The books they already have available are up at Bookstrand with notations on the site that they will have more releases soon with titles going up at other 3rd party sites. One of the posts also says they'll be selling books off of blogger, though how you would accomplish this I have no idea. One of the posts does list release dates, but you have to sort back through the blogger entries. IMO not a great way to inform readers of upcoming books.

Says they pay 50% royalties from all sites which is concerning since you don't receive 50% of cover from 3rd party distribution. I'm guessing they mean 50% net but it doesn't say.

They seem to be more geared to appealing to authors than readers as their entire FAQ addresses author concerns, rather than readers.

MysteryRiter · Apr 18, 2012

Ignoring the unprofesional site, why exactly is a publisher flaunting 3 star ratings? In my mind, that means "okay" and the fact that they're blogging about it like it's a huge milestone worries me, to say the least...
ETA: Not saying there's anything wrong with a 3 star rating, just why is it worth flaunting?

michael_b · Apr 18, 2012

MysteryRiter said:
Ignoring the unprofesional site, why exactly is a publisher flaunting 3 star ratings? In my mind, that means "okay" and the fact that they're blogging about it like it's a huge milestone worries me, to say the least...

ETA: Not saying there's anything wrong with a 3 star rating, just why is it worth flaunting?

Another good question since most sites consider that to be an average and rather unremarkable read.

Dani · Apr 18, 2012

michael_b said:
The books they already have available are up at Bookstrand with notations on the site that they will have more releases soon with titles going up at other 3rd party sites. One of the posts also says they'll be selling books off of blogger, though how you would accomplish this I have no idea. One of the posts does list release dates, but you have to sort back through the blogger entries. IMO not a great way to inform readers of upcoming books.

Says they pay 50% royalties from all sites which is concerning since you don't receive 50% of cover from 3rd party distribution. I'm guessing they mean 50% net but it doesn't say.

They seem to be more geared to appealing to authors than readers as their entire FAQ addresses author concerns, rather than readers.

Wouldn't you, as a publisher, include links to the Bookstrand sales pages at the very least, if not the books themselves?

Even if you're not ready to sell the books via blogger(I'm assuming they mean Google checkout), you would at least link to the books on the third party sites.

MysteryRiter said:
Ignoring the unprofesional site, why exactly is a publisher flaunting 3 star ratings? In my mind, that means "okay" and the fact that they're blogging about it like it's a huge milestone worries me, to say the least...
ETA: Not saying there's anything wrong with a 3 star rating, just why is it worth flaunting?

I have no idea who this author is, tbh. I've been in the m/m community and reading m/m books for quite a while and I've never heard of this author. Ofc, those covers she used on self-publishing, would have made me run a mile away. Covers are so freaking important. I wish more people realized that, but I can't even fault her for the covers that much, since many m/m publishers (i'm looking at you Siren), are awful. And I think Siren does okay with both marketing their authors and their books.

saphirablue84 · Apr 18, 2012

BenPanced said:
My concern?

They're a publisher and there's NO WAY for you to purchase books on the site. Anywhere. You click on the cover? It just enlarges the thumbnail. That's it. I couldn't find a BUY ME! link at all, unless none of the books are currently available. If that's the case, they seriously need to let people know release dates.

That bugged me too. I spent over an hour looking at the site/blog trying to find it. I thought for a while that I was just missing it until I realized it wasn't there to be found.

Bubastes · Apr 18, 2012

Dani said:
Wouldn't you, as a publisher, include links to the Bookstrand sales pages at the very least, if not the books themselves?

Exactly. Heck, on my author blog, I have buy links to my books on the very first page. Also, every book cover graphic on my blog is a clickable buy link. It's not that difficult.

Dani · Apr 18, 2012

Bubastes said:
Exactly. Heck, on my author blog, I have buy links to my books on the very first page. Also, every book cover graphic on my blog is a clickable buy link. It's not that difficult.

Ditto! It's just common sense *boggle*.

saphirablue84 · Apr 18, 2012

Bubastes said:
Exactly. Heck, on my author blog, I have buy links to my books on the very first page. Also, every book cover graphic on my blog is a clickable buy link. It's not that difficult.

And it takes, what? Two minutes each or less? Simple enough.

eternalised · Apr 19, 2012

So let me get this straight...

- They can't afford webhosting or a domain name, so they're using Blogger. Whereas both of these cost like $30-$40 a year.
- If they can't afford either of those, I doubt they can afford any editors, cover artists, proofreaders whatsoever.
- The fact that their covers look like they've been made by a three-year-old playing in Photoshop, shows that, in any case, they haven't hired a cover artist.
- The 'about me' page talks about this author/publisher person who has written a 'bestseller'. There's no mention of anyone else working for this company. No publicisits, no editors, nada.
- There are no buy links anywhere on the website. I don't think it's even possible to add a shop considering it's a blogger website, but they could at least link to Smashwords or Amazon.
- They have one of the most unprofessional websites I've ever seen. Surely, hiring a webdesigner can be expensive, but get webhosting, get a domain name, upload WordPress and buy a $35 WordPress theme. Set up an eCommerce plugin and you're ready to go. And if you can't do it yourself, hire someone to do it or ask a friend, or go read the tutorials. It's not that hard.
- All books in their 'Forbidden' series have the same cover image. Sure, I may be nitpicking, but I wouldn't be too happy with that as an author.
- Apparently on their 'FAQ' page turn-around time for submissions is 60-90 days including editing. Uhm, what?
- Also on their 'FAQ', they intend to make paperback versions of their books as well. :S
- They seem to have no Facebook page, Twitter, or any other social media except the GFC widget on their blog. At least, neither of those are mentioned on the blog.

Why on earth would ANYONE submit anything to them?

Romance First Publishing

Cuddly sweet teddy bear!

Fighting off ninja plot bunnies

*insert catchy phrase here*

Bemused Girl

starting over

the world is at my command

Cuddly sweet teddy bear!

So many ideas, never enough time.

Cuddly sweet teddy bear!

So many ideas, never enough time.

Cuddly sweet teddy bear!

Stood at the coalface

starting over

Stood at the coalface

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

Cuddly sweet teddy bear!

So many ideas, never enough time.

Murder isn't so bad...

So many ideas, never enough time.

Cuddly sweet teddy bear!

Fighting off ninja plot bunnies

bananaed

Cuddly sweet teddy bear!

Fighting off ninja plot bunnies

practical experience, FTW

insert catchy phrase here