Medallion Press, Inc. / Medallion Media Group

I do rank Medallion as the toughest submission I've ever made. As said before, it was the marketing plan questionaire and the huge chap by chap outline I had to perform that left me a little bleary eyed and wondering.

Tri

Roger J Carlson said:

(my snip) they will only consider works between 80-120,000 words, period. No exceptions.

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I'd like to think this has to do with a very precise business model, but I haven't asked. The people at Medallion are all very nice, and efficient, particularly in the face of the recent reorganization. I haven't gone through the editing process with them yet, but they recently completed the cover art for my book. Nothing but positives from me.

Medallion picked up by IPG

For anyone interested in Medallion, it was announced in publisher's weekly that they've been picked up for distribution by IPG, starting with this year's fall catalogue. It's bound to increase sales, distribution and exposure. I signed with them just after Christmas and I'm thrilled! They really seem to be growing fast.

triceretops said:

I do rank Medallion as the toughest submission I've ever made. As said before, it was the marketing plan questionaire and the huge chap by chap outline I had to perform that left me a little bleary eyed and wondering.

Tri

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I don't understand why Medallion -- or Thomas Dunne, as the other author talked about -- would want such a thing.

Is this before they accepted the manuscript?

Why not, you know, just read the book?

Will Lavender said:

I don't understand why Medallion -- or Thomas Dunne, as the other author talked about -- would want such a thing.

Is this before they accepted the manuscript?

Why not, you know, just read the book?

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I'm not sure they do that anymore. It used to be under their submission guidelines but it's not anymore. I never did any of that with my submission and I've never been asked about it.

Will Lavender said:

Why not, you know, just read the book?

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Because the book wasn't written yet. The synopsis I wrote for my editor at Thomas Dunne was simply a response to his asking for "more details, more intrigue" after I'd sent him a standard 10 page synopsis. He didn't say "hey, send me another one and make it 37 pages". I wrote what I thought he'd like to read and sent it on with my apologies as to the length. Turns out, it was exactly what he wanted.

It's had other positive benefits, too. My agent has been able to use the long synopsis to generate early interest from foreign markets and Hollywood.

Scott

Memnon624 said:

Because the book wasn't written yet. The synopsis I wrote for my editor at Thomas Dunne was simply a response to his asking for "more details, more intrigue" after I'd sent him a standard 10 page synopsis. He didn't say "hey, send me another one and make it 37 pages". I wrote what I thought he'd like to read and sent it on with my apologies as to the length. Turns out, it was exactly what he wanted.

It's had other positive benefits, too. My agent has been able to use the long synopsis to generate early interest from foreign markets and Hollywood.

Scott

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Oh, okay. Good luck!

This is just me personally, but I'm never going to write a synopsis again. Ever. If they want to read it, wait until I finish the book.

I've seen Medallion's boilerplate contract, and there are some nonstandard things--including an editing clause that appears to allow the publisher to edit at will, without seeking the author's permission; a bad indemnity clause; a clause that gives the publisher ownership of the author's pen name; and language that suggests that the publisher claims ownership of any editing done under its auspices (which means that you could not re-sell the published version of your book once it goes out of print).

Hopefully these are areas where authors can negotiate more favorable language.

- Victoria

So, Victoria, would you recommend them or consider them decent?

I've enjoyed the way their books look (they sent me one, a couple of years back, for free: always cool) and they have some solid covers. I would have submitted to them at the time but wasn't very impressed with their distribution.

Will Lavender said:

Oh, okay. Good luck!

This is just me personally, but I'm never going to write a synopsis again. Ever. If they want to read it, wait until I finish the book.

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Thanks, Will!

I'm in the other camp: I want to have my books sold before I ever write them. I don't mind synopsis-writing -- though it can be a real hair-puller. To me, the benefit outweighs the hassle.

Scott

Memnon624 said:

Thanks, Will!

I'm in the other camp: I want to have my books sold before I ever write them. I don't mind synopsis-writing -- though it can be a real hair-puller. To me, the benefit outweighs the hassle.

Scott

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Are we talking fiction or non-fiction here?

Roger J Carlson said:

Are we talking fiction or non-fiction here?

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Same question I had.

Must be non-fiction.

PeeDee said:

So, Victoria, would you recommend them or consider them decent?

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On the one hand, and speaking for myself, I wouldn't sign that contract without quite a bit of negotiation. On the other hand, concerns I've had about Medallion's distribution capacity may be addressed by the new arrangement with IPG. On still another hand, there's a puzzling lack of review presence for Medallion, especially in genre publications, so despite their attractive and well-composed print advertisements, I still wonder about marketing. So I guess the answer to your question is...I don't know. Not a "beware" situation, but definitely a "do your homework and consider all the issues" situation. This is true of any publisher, even the big ones, but it's more true of independents.

I'm in the other camp: I want to have my books sold before I ever write them.

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There are pros and cons to this. It offers money and security--you get paid upfront, and aren't writing into the ether; you have the confidence of knowing that your book has a home. For slower writers are those who are deadline-averse, however, it can be a tough row to hoe, since pre-selling a book or books often involves tight deadlines. Also, with the staff turnover in publishing being what it is, by the time you turn in your book your editor may have left the company, and you may find yourself passed on to someone who, given the choice, would not have bought your work.

I sold my last series unwritten, and for both the above reasons I wouldn't do it again. The conventional wisdom is against me, of course, because it's far more risky to write on spec; but the experience of pre-selling was so incredibly stressful, and has resulted in such massive burnout, that I prefer the risk. Obviously, this is just me and my own writing idiosyncracies (I'm very slow, compared to others in my genre, and have always worked poorly under pressure). Others will feel differently.

- Victoria

Roger J Carlson said:

Are we talking fiction or non-fiction here?

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Fiction. I've not written a full manuscript since selling my first. My second I sold to Medallion on a partial -- four chapters and a synopsis -- while my third through seventh have been contracted by Thomas Dunne based on my prior work, my relationship with the editor, and the aforementioned 37-page synopsis. The first will be due in May, then after a short break I'll hammer out another synopsis, send it to my editor, and go from there.

I don't know if this is standard practice among writers or not, but it works for me (though if you read her blog, Paperback Writer, Lynn Viehl has stated on occasion that she works in the same way).

Scott

I have seen, and purchased, Medallion books in Books-a-Million, a chain store. They do get some shelf space.

victoriastrauss said:

I'm very slow, compared to others in my genre, and have always worked poorly under pressure.

- Victoria

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I'm on the slower side, also, but my agent has made sure to work in rather generous deadlines -- from nine months to a year. Compared to the four years it took to write my first book, it feels rather tight. But, I don't have an outside job or a wife and family to worry about, so there's no reason I shouldn't be able to finish each manuscript in the time alotted.

I'll let you know how that goes

Scott

PeeDee said:

So, Victoria, would you recommend them or consider them decent?

I've enjoyed the way their books look (they sent me one, a couple of years back, for free: always cool) and they have some solid covers. ...

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In my limited experience I haven't found this. Terrible covers, but very good stories.

emeraldcite said:

I have seen, and purchased, Medallion books in Books-a-Million, a chain store. They do get some shelf space.

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Ditto in B&N and Borders. I love Beth Ciotta's romance's and I've found her books in stores(multiple copies on shelves).

I know someone whose young adult novel was accepted for publication with Medallion Press-then, after it was due for publication, she found out that the young adult section of Medallion Press was closing down, and they sent her manuscript back to her. She found a literary agency after the contract was terminated and she's looking for another publisher.

Apryl

veinglory said:

In my limited experience I haven't found this. Terrible covers, but very good stories.

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*cough* I went off and looked, I was totally thinking of someone else for the covers. Mea culpa & a twit.

Hello All,

Now that I've read through all these posts, does anyone have any updated info on Medallion Press or is this where your opinions still stand? Thanks

I pick up Medallion books from time to time. They are a odd press--different form any others. I think they are well funded with some good points, but small and sometimes do perculairly amateurish things as well. Some of their books clearly do get mainstream reviews and book stores shelving. I would consider them worth looking into if your write that kind of romance but look carefully into how well their average book by an outside author (not staff) does.

Earnings?

Hi Veinglory,

They have apparently been in business for about fours years, but P&E has only this to say about them, with no mention of money earned.

Medallion Press: "currently preparing hardcover and trade paper reprints for publication, but plan to begin accepting e-book manuscripts next February. We'll specialize in mystery novels, Western historicals, young adult novels and some nonfiction and romance. Any well-written manuscript, regardless of subject, will be considered, and our focus is on quality, not quantity."

I see that P&E does recommend IPG.

How can I find out about Medallion's earnings?

There's a little (very little) info on Medallion's author earnings here:

http://www.brendahiatt.com/id2.html

JD

Ms. Jem said:

Medallion Press: "currently preparing hardcover and trade paper reprints for publication, but plan to begin accepting e-book manuscripts next February. We'll specialize in mystery novels, Western historicals, young adult novels and some nonfiction and romance. Any well-written manuscript, regardless of subject, will be considered, and our focus is on quality, not quantity."

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The P&E listing is a bit out of date. I don't think they ever began accepting e-book submissions, though they have started making some titles available as e-books; the YA line was done away with and they never branched out into non-fiction. IMHO, romance is their strongest genre.

As for earnings, the info from Brenda Hiatt is fairly accurate in regards to advance, but it doesn't take into account foreign sales (which for me have been substantial compared to my initial advance -- but, foreign sales are hit-and-miss: some have them, others don't. It depends on the needs of the foreign market and the specific publisher.)

Hope this helps!

Scott

ETA: Though my sig line doesn't reflect it, I have two books from Medallion: Men of Bronze (2005) and Memnon (2006). Both titles have earned out; Men of Bronze is currently in its second or third printing.