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That's Firebrand Books, the LGBT publisher of some note (awards, grants, etc. well respected). This particular book was a fairly standard text in Women's Studies and LGBT programs.
Firebrand Books Is Not The Publisher In Question.
Yes, but a single publisher might have several prefixes.
I'd check WorldCat or even Amazon before relying on ABE books which use hand-entered (and human-error prone) data.
That's actually what I was trying to say -- one of the books attributed to Firebrand Publishing appears to have actually been published by Firebrand Books (I didn't know the part about it being a well-known textbook, though).
Amy Cancryn on the subject of vanity publishing:
I know absolutely bugger-all about video games so I'll take the bolded statement at face value. If small startups are successfully competing with the big boys it's because their games are of good quality and easily available as apps.
There's no indication on Firebrand's site that the company will turn down any manuscript the author is willing to pay them to publish. Editing slush (no matter who does the editing) will not turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, and nobody wants to buy the literary equivalent of a sow's ear. That's assuming that any potential readers heard of said sow's ear in the first place, because it's extremely difficult to find the average vanity-pubbed book unless the author tells you about it personally. It's a completely bogus comparison.
The worst work, be it poorly constructed/littered with mistakes or flamboyantly, hilariously awful, stands an excellent chance of being published if the writer takes the vanity route.
This "investing in yourself" thing also irritates me. If you can't write at a professional level, by which I mean creating well-crafted work other people will pay to read, you aren't investing in yourself - you're throwing money down the drain. If Amy is still reading this I'd advise her to look at the overwhelmingly sub-standard stuff churned out by PublishAmerica, Tate and other vanity/subsidy presses. This is the sort of thing that writers vain enough to think they have literary skill will expect her company to sell.
I know absolutely bugger-all about video games so I'll take the bolded statement at face value. If small startups are successfully competing with the big boys it's because their games are of good quality and easily available as apps.
There's no indication on Firebrand's site that the company will turn down any manuscript the author is willing to pay them to publish. Editing slush (no matter who does the editing) will not turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, and nobody wants to buy the literary equivalent of a sow's ear. That's assuming that any potential readers heard of said sow's ear in the first place, because it's extremely difficult to find the average vanity-pubbed book unless the author tells you about it personally. It's a completely bogus comparison.
The worst work, be it poorly constructed/littered with mistakes or flamboyantly, hilariously awful, stands an excellent chance of being published if the writer takes the vanity route.
This "investing in yourself" thing also irritates me. If you can't write at a professional level, by which I mean creating well-crafted work other people will pay to read, you aren't investing in yourself - you're throwing money down the drain. If Amy is still reading this I'd advise her to look at the overwhelmingly sub-standard stuff churned out by PublishAmerica, Tate and other vanity/subsidy presses. This is the sort of thing that writers vain enough to think they have literary skill will expect her company to sell.
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For that matter, what makes a farmer think anyone would want to eat what she grows? Vanity. What makes a plumber think anyone would want to hire him? Vanity. What makes a writer think anyone would want to read her work? It couldn't be any objective knowledge that she's written something entertaining or useful - it's got to be groundless vanity!
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Firebrand qualifies as a vanity publisher. Whether vanity publishing is a good or a bad thing is not the most important thing we should be discussing here, though: we should be asking if Firebrand is able to publish our books well, and then sell them effectively.
The answer to both of those questions is no.
The answer to both of those questions is no.
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I'm still not 100% convinced that Firebrand is a publisher at all, let alone a vanity.
They may merely be an author-services company that takes a manuscript then hands back an edited, formatted book with cover art and says, "Go to town, sport!"
Questions I haven't seen answered include whether various authors share an ISBN prefix, or does each author get ISBNs from a unique block. Does Firebrand assert any rights to the finished work? Does Firebrand sell the books then send royalties (even if 100% royalties)?
I find their page confusing, and that confusion makes me wonder what business plan they're using.
They may merely be an author-services company that takes a manuscript then hands back an edited, formatted book with cover art and says, "Go to town, sport!"
Questions I haven't seen answered include whether various authors share an ISBN prefix, or does each author get ISBNs from a unique block. Does Firebrand assert any rights to the finished work? Does Firebrand sell the books then send royalties (even if 100% royalties)?
I find their page confusing, and that confusion makes me wonder what business plan they're using.
I almost overlooked these statements (my bolding):
I take that to mean that Firebrand Publishing is a publisher.
Also:
But doesn't the author give up first publication rights in order for their work to be published at all?
About royalties:
About Firebrand's staff:
Names and details would be helpful.
If this is exactly what Ms Hemingway wrote, please tell me she isn't an editor or proofreader.
More misinformation:
How many self-published authors earn anything like a living from their books?
It's unfortunate that Firebrand hasn't published anything potential customers could examine to get an idea of what the quality's like. There was such an obvious candidate, too - Kayanna Kirby's Chained by Desire. A professionally-edited new version of the book, propelled to bestseller status by Firebrand's "guaranteed success!" method, would have gone a long way to dispel scepticism about the company's claims.
I take that to mean that Firebrand Publishing is a publisher.
Also:
But doesn't the author give up first publication rights in order for their work to be published at all?
About royalties:
About Firebrand's staff:
Names and details would be helpful.
If this is exactly what Ms Hemingway wrote, please tell me she isn't an editor or proofreader.
More misinformation:
How many self-published authors earn anything like a living from their books?
It's unfortunate that Firebrand hasn't published anything potential customers could examine to get an idea of what the quality's like. There was such an obvious candidate, too - Kayanna Kirby's Chained by Desire. A professionally-edited new version of the book, propelled to bestseller status by Firebrand's "guaranteed success!" method, would have gone a long way to dispel scepticism about the company's claims.
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