Banda Press / One Flight Fiction

I've never heard of them before, but the site concerns me. They seem a bit too eager for people to submit to them.

p.s. This thread should really be in the 'Writers beware board.'

Reminds me of something that was tried back in the '80s. This guy, publisher if you will, was trying to start a fledgling new book company that would market these pulp style paperback novels (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) and they'd be sold in these small displays at checkout counters everywhere. I remember requesting an initial package along with writer's guidelines. But as you can plainly see (unless they are sold in your area) it never took off.

So my advice is beware. Although since I looked at the guidelines, I do have a novelette that fits those guidelines.

And if they're just starting off, of course they'd be eager, wouldn't they?


ETA: I just sent them a message asking what genres they accept. It doesn't say anywhere on their site (that I could find).

Furthermore, (since this seems like an interesting topic), and since I'm coming at this from a short story background, is the following typical?

Q. How does Banda Press International pay the authors it chooses to publish?

A. Banda Press International pays royalties on the wholesale price. Advances are also paid occasionally.

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The reason I ask is I have no idea how the business of novels works. I know when writing a short story you are paid by word, and I'm aware that novels usually aren't paid that way, so is just getting royalties typical?

Wholesale price?! Um, no. They might mean royalties paid on net, whereas it's preferable (at the very least) for royalties to be paid on the cover price.

One Flight Fiction

Hi I'm back.

I saw this one on a little thread all by itself almost empty

It looks like a good website and even has some books on it.

As I am still learning, I'd love your opinions, please.

http://www.oneflightfiction.com/index.php

Thanks. As always I bow to your multi-wisdoms

From their "about us" page:

Magazines are ok, but who actually reads one from cover to cover.

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I think this publisher is more in need of copy editors than writers at the moment.

Um, why? Should OK be capitalized?

I sent an inquiry about genre and multiples submissions. I would also like to know where the cover-prices are. Often novellas end up about the same price as novels.

Most of all I'd like to know where they are sold and at what volume as that will determine the income--however, overall it might be worth a punt if you have something lying around at that length. It seems they like literary type fantasy.

Ah. I read it more as a statement than a question myself. And a copywriter probably wrote that, or a web designer (worse yet), so I'm not sure how much weight I'd put on that error.

The markets for novelettes is pretty slim, no?

Shadow_Ferret said:

ETA: I just sent them a message asking what genres they accept. It doesn't say anywhere on their site (that I could find).

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They have a rather vague reference to it on their About Us page. It says something like Mysteries to Westerns. That's a rather broad range of audiences.

and non-fiction too--but all their existing stuff seems to be fantasy

Thanks. I will watch them for a while. I have some stories that need to be put out in novella form possibly, as they seem to be somewhat popular lately.

Also interesting what you say about the prices of novellas as opposed to novels. I have noticed that somewhere, the publisher's name having left my mind at the moment.

I'll ask One Flight where they intend to market their stories, etc.

Would one of the mods merge this with the other thread on One Flight? Just noticed that this morning - and I know thread proliferation is not a good thing.

Thanks.

~Nancy

Done.

- Victoria

Shadow_Ferret said:

Reminds me of something that was tried back in the '80s. This guy, publisher if you will, was trying to start a fledgling new book company that would market these pulp style paperback novels (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) and they'd be sold in these small displays at checkout counters everywhere. I remember requesting an initial package along with writer's guidelines.

Click to expand...

I remember that bunch! It was ONE guy behind it, unless you counted his mother, a retired English teacher. Somehow that qualified her to be "editor-in-chief."

I remember writer Steve Perry (I think) who was to do some books for that bunch. The writer would turn something in and the publisher would promptly rewrite everything, making a mess of it. (The hero would start off blond, end up a redhead--that sort of thing.) At one point the writer yelled "I've written more books than you've read!!" The publisher grinned and said, "Yeah? So?" A report of this was in Locus back in the 80's or 90's.

I asked for guidelines, too. By the time I got my proposal ready they'd gone out of business and had some very angry writers looking for their money.

A-hem, back from the past-blast, now to the present.

I click on submissions and am swept to Banda Press from One Flight. I don't like that.

One Flight has a very cool idea, but the odds are against them.

Space is at a VERY tight premium at the airports, that's why food there costs so much. Sellers have high overhead to cash in on the air traffic.

Why should an airport bookstore give space to books by unknown (to me at least) writers when they have near-guaranteed sales coming in from the NYT bestsellers, paperbacks, and national magazines?

Just a thought.

I've dragged my way through many an airport store looking for something to read on the trip, and was not inclined to shell out bucks for a big book, but then again, a shorter title might not be interesting, either. I'd head for the paperbacks or magazines. Or take a nap. Or pop a DVD into my laptop. Or work on my own dang book.

On my last trip I saw a stand with DVD rentals. You could rent a player and film at one airport and drop it off at the next. My best friend flew to Germany this week. She has earphones and her iPod stuffed with episodes of her favorite TV shows downloaded from the Net.

One Flight is competing with that, too.

On their site: "One Flight Fiction’s™ first six books will be available to retailers August 2006."

Well, I'm *available* for a date with Johnny Depp, but I don't expect him to phone me any time soon. (Darn it.)

My take is give them time to "take off" first. At present they've got a lot of strikes against them. (Limited space, new to the market, TONS of in-place competition.)

Royalites on wholesale is another way of saying royalties on net: a deal-breaker.

Meanwhile, I'd really like to see their distribution. Bet they don't have any, and haven't thought about it. Airport bookstores are tough to get into, and tougher to stay in.

I'd be very surprised if these folks are still around in a year.

(Oh, and I remember "Dime Novels." I even read one, Big Hats. It involved the Pope fighting a giant octopus under the Vatican.)

James D. Macdonald said:

(Oh, and I remember "Dime Novels." I even read one, Big Hats. It involved the Pope fighting a giant octopus under the Vatican.)

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:Gillhoughly's head explodes:

-

hey...

I would definitely be careful with this one; something about it gave me a creepy feeling...you know that feeling... I would submit to agents and publishers that I knew for a rock solid fact were legite, and if it was a literary agent I would make sure they were a member of the AAR; otherwise, beware. Good luck with everything.

argenianpoet

James D. Macdonald said:

... Big Hats. It involved the Pope fighting a giant octopus under the Vatican.)

Click to expand...

That is supremely cool. What fool let that book go out of print?

hi

anyone here know of banda press...is it legit?

Hmmm

I agree a lot of scammer on this earth, especially wanna-be literary agents(who steal peoples hard earned money).

But, I must say Banda Press isn't asking for editing fees or a single penny if they accept peoples work...so why not have faith in them if they have faith in our work?

I'm calculating how much I would lose and my calculator says ummmm ZERO.

Where's the "first north american serial rights" key on your calculator?