Samhain Publishing

I know my editor's taking a vacation in January, but I can't speak for anyone else's...

I am two days short of ten weeks now and have not heard yet. I submitted the full.

Jennifer Robins

... I empathize with you, Jennifier. I suspect it's going to be a long Christmas. That said, if anyone deserves a break it's the editors at Samhain. They clearly work their butts off.

I've just read in another thread that it is a warning sign if smaller publishers take on too many new authors at once. ( The reasons given for being wary; the publisher will not have the resources to do a good job on each book and that they may be attempting to get a huge author base so that they can make money from the authors buying small amounts of their own books)

I have subbed to Samhain because of all the positively surrounding them on this board, also due to their presence on bookshelves, and their apparently high quality editors and cover art.

I still feel very positive about them, but I would quite like this subject addressed.

I seem to recall someone mentioning ( perhaps in another thread?) that Samhain produce several books a month or some such high figure, and when I read the comments on the dangers of high output in the other thread it put the hairs on the back of my neck standing straight :0) can anyone set my mind at ease about Samhain's apparently high output and the amount of new authors they are taking on?

Yes, Gary, but they have a bunch of editors. They hired something like 20 new ones over the summer. They've lost a couple too, but they still have more than the average small press.

Samhain puts out about 6 new books a week. But they have the staff to deal with it. I'm also seeing new names on the cover art - meaning they've hired new artists.

The year-end e-mail I got from the marketing department leaves me very happy for next year, I'll tell you that. I can't go into details, it's not for me to share, but they are expanding their advertising and marketing next year, big time.

Ok, thanks for that information Christine.

From what I've heard at the cafe, on blogs from the authors, chatting with their authors and various reader groups, Samhain authors are extremely happy with how their books are handled with the pub to this day. Also nothing but the utmost respect for everyone behind the scenes that takes care in bringing their book to publication. Must be the reason they made Best Publisher of P&E last year.

A much different atmosphere and more professional than what I experienced with a previous small press pub (which may be the subject of the thread to which you are referring).

6 books A WEEK?

With that many, how can they possibly put any decent energy into the promotion of any one book (editing & production concerns aside)?

Do you Samhain authors out there feel like you get good promotion, once the book is released, competing against that many for company resources?

RTH said:

6 books A WEEK?

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These days, for romance and erotic romance e-publishes, it's fairly common for companies to release new titles on a weekly basis. Elloras Cave was doing weekly releases for a long time -- I guess the other publishers had to keep up if they wanted to compete.

Several months ago, Elloras Cave went from once weekly releases to twice weekly releases. (I think that makes for a total of 12 books a week, but it might be 8-10? I'm at work, so there's no way I'm checking. ) Some bloggers complained that the quality went down once they did that, but I'm sure people are still buying them. At the same time, I don't think any other e-publishers are jumping to twice-weekly releases.

RTH said:

6 books A WEEK?

With that many, how can they possibly put any decent energy into the promotion of any one book (editing & production concerns aside)?

Do you Samhain authors out there feel like you get good promotion, once the book is released, competing against that many for company resources?

Click to expand...

well, I see plenty of ads in RT magazine for Samhain books. Along with reviews. Good ones, at that.

Like I said, they have a big staff.

They also leave their distribution up to IPS, or whoever it is that makes all the catalogs and has the sales people.

And they are next year switching to a 90 pre-pub deadline. Which means all books must be finished with edits 3 months prior to release.

They'll also be placing more ads in Realms of Fantasy next year, as I understand.

I think you also just need to realise they are a high output press. Other than during editing don't expect to deal one-to-one all the time. Keep up with the email lists and automated processes they use. For me, in the end whether a press is low or high output matters less than what they provide and the sales they can deliver.

RTH said:

6 books A WEEK?

With that many, how can they possibly put any decent energy into the promotion of any one book (editing & production concerns aside)?

Do you Samhain authors out there feel like you get good promotion, once the book is released, competing against that many for company resources?

Click to expand...

In epublishing, even with an outfit like Samhain, the onus is on the author to d a lot of the promotion for individual titles. Samhain does a lot of marketing that emphasizes the "brand" of the publisher.

I never really gave much thought to how much publicity my one title receives. That's not really how e-publishing works. The best promotion for any one book is to write another book and make sure people recognize your name when they see it. Also, make sure people see your name often. Once you build up a "brand" and a decent back catalog, you can sustain your sales.

I have heard that said a lot about author 'brand' but personally consider it a myth. My second book outsells my other 15 to this day, including later books with the same publisher and I dont see a trend in the data I have from other authors that suggests the amount of promo an author does has any appreciable effect.

But as you say publisher and output sure will have an effect, along eith genre, and very few epublishers sell better than Samhain.

Veinglory, FATHER OF DRAGONS is catgorised as sci fi fantasy at Samhain, yet it's selling like hot cakes. Do you think this is because you've built up a loyal readership, and they follow you regardless of genre, or is it that consumers of Samhain product read widely, and the idea that Samhain is a niche publisher of erotic is often over stated?

Based on my figures FoD's sales are slightly below average for a Samhain book. I have 5 books that sold better over an equivalent period. I'm not saying nobody has ever heard of me, but that is a distinctly minor factor compared with whether the reader has heard of Samhain or likes MM. King of Dragons, also with Samhain but not MM sold about about 25% as well despite the fact I was similarly well known when it came out.

But that's just how I am seeing it. I don't see them as erotica focussed, but erotic romance focussed and FoD is pretty close to that genre and the sequel will be squarely in it.

veinglory said:

I have heard that said a lot about author 'brand' but personally consider it a myth. My second book outsells my other 15 to this day, including later books with the same publisher and I dont see a trend in the data I have from other authors that suggests the amount of promo an author does has any appreciable effect.

But as you say publisher and output sure will have an effect, along eith genre, and very few epublishers sell better than Samhain.

Click to expand...

I don't think it's entirely a myth. I see an increase in sales on average with each popular book. Though maybe that's not entirely "brand." My Pepper Espinoza sales do go up as our Jamie Craig books gain in popularity. I've seen it consistently each month for the past two quarters.

Thanks, Veinglory, this clarifies things a great deal.

I see sales going up with places like Loose Id and Samhain, but pretty much across the board, established writers and new. These publishers are one the up and up, literally. I don't think I can take the credit

Veinglory, have you ever considered asking Borders New Zealand to stock your titles? Which raises the question, what's the guts on international distribution?

Has anyone seen Samhain titles in bookstores like Borders or Barnes and Noble?

I've seen a bunch of Samhain titles in our local Waldenbooks (which I think it an offshoot of Borders).

Kiwi, just curious, how can you tell FoD is selling like hot cakes? Is there an indicator of sales on the site? If so tell me where because I want to have a look at their sales in other genres.

Veinglory, how well do you think a non-erotic-romance title would do through Samhain? I'm thinking specifically young adult fantasy? I had hoped that, with their good track record on erotica, Samhain might actually be able to give a different genre book a good crack of the whip. But I've been kind of turned around and confused by the discussions I've been reading lately, and to be honest, I'm a bit depressed about the prospects for anything other then erotica, even via a well established/ well run small press like Samhain.

Gary, I'll tell ya in a couple of months.

I shall await your reply with interest :0) Your work is going e-book then after three months to shelves right? SO you should have a good idea of how things are all round.