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[Publisher] Loose Id
- Thread starter RedandGold
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Welcome Filigree!
I'm working on revising one for them at the moment, after getting an R&R rejection. I had that before and that was accepted after the revision. I trust my editor to know what she's talking about, so decided to go with revising instead of just submitting elsewhere. The things she said in the R&R mail resonated with me either straight away or after I thought about them for a couple of days, so once I saw how the story could be better there was no way I could just sub elsewhere as is. This one needs a lot more work than the other R&R I did, which mostly just needed the start expanding, but I'm determined to get it right now!
I'm working on revising one for them at the moment, after getting an R&R rejection. I had that before and that was accepted after the revision. I trust my editor to know what she's talking about, so decided to go with revising instead of just submitting elsewhere. The things she said in the R&R mail resonated with me either straight away or after I thought about them for a couple of days, so once I saw how the story could be better there was no way I could just sub elsewhere as is. This one needs a lot more work than the other R&R I did, which mostly just needed the start expanding, but I'm determined to get it right now!
I'm in the middle of my edits now. And actually having fun, because now I can fix some of the rougher parts. It's great to have an editor who doesn't think I'm an odd duck for liking revisions.
I officially accepted their offer of a couple of days ago. They've been very enthusiastic about my novella so I've been happy with the process so far.
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Even though I hadn't even finished the first draft of my novella, I've been hunting around and making a list of publishers to sub to when the time comes. Loose Id will go to the top of my list.
One of things that most impressed me what the quality of their covers. There were some that seemed amateurish, but much more were very well done.
One of things that most impressed me what the quality of their covers. There were some that seemed amateurish, but much more were very well done.
They have some really good cover artists.
To be honest, I wish the 'manga' style cover art was a little better done. As it stands, it tends to put me off a little bit. I see far more swoon-worthy manga and other digital artists on DeviantArt.
To be honest, I wish the 'manga' style cover art was a little better done. As it stands, it tends to put me off a little bit. I see far more swoon-worthy manga and other digital artists on DeviantArt.
This may be true, but a lot of those artists either don't take commissions or prove to be totally unreliable. Believe me, I know from experience.
I think most of their manga style covers are done by either Ann Caine and PL Nunn who both started out doing fan art for various anime.
Frankly some of my personal favorite LI covers were done by Ann, and I have one--at Liquid Silver--done by PL Nunn.
You may not like their style, but their art does sell to readers and that's what it's all about from a publisher's stand point.
Not to nic-pic, as I have seen this at other publishers' websites also that provide excerpts ... but I read about 10 excerpts at the Loose-Id website tonight and 3 of them had typos.
One carried the same typo 3 times (the word brunette was typed brunet) and "breasts" was typed bresths in another one.
Not sure if the excerpts are copy/pasted from the final MS. If so, then those errors are in the final books themselves.
Still, based on author feedback here and the overall impression of the publisher's website (presentation, submission policy, etc) ... I am still highly considering them for when I'm ready to sub.
One carried the same typo 3 times (the word brunette was typed brunet) and "breasts" was typed bresths in another one.
Not sure if the excerpts are copy/pasted from the final MS. If so, then those errors are in the final books themselves.
Still, based on author feedback here and the overall impression of the publisher's website (presentation, submission policy, etc) ... I am still highly considering them for when I'm ready to sub.
I've read some uneven copy in the samples, as well, but the actual novels that I've seen all seem to be cleanly edited.
I like Ann Cain's work over Nunn's, but whatever cover they choose, I'm sure it will be lovely. And I have original art ready to go on my eventual website, with the proviso that it's just author's personal sketches and not 'official' art. I wouldn't do other people's cover art, but I know I can do mine - I'd planned on it, when considering self-publishing. There's a benefit to 18 years in commercial art.
I like Ann Cain's work over Nunn's, but whatever cover they choose, I'm sure it will be lovely. And I have original art ready to go on my eventual website, with the proviso that it's just author's personal sketches and not 'official' art. I wouldn't do other people's cover art, but I know I can do mine - I'd planned on it, when considering self-publishing. There's a benefit to 18 years in commercial art.
Just piping up to say that brunet isn't technically a typo if it has been used for a male character, it's just the masculine form of brunette. I don't think it's common, but I've been corrected to the masculine form in the past.
Re: the manga covers, from my own reader's perspective, are useful because in my mind they indicate content similar or close to yaoi tropes/stereotypes. I don't know how true this is for the works at Loose Id with those covers, but books with those covers are ones I'd make a beeline for purchasing if I was looking for those kinds of stories specifically.
There's a masculine form of the word brunette in the English language? Oh! geez, ok, egg on my face. So sorry. I honestly did not know.
Three hours into the new day and already learned something new! =)
It's like Blond/e. I have no idea why we kept the gendered adjective for hair colour and pretty much nothing else, but that's English!
There's a gender difference for "blonde" also? *facepalm*
There better not be one for "chestnut" or "black" ... or else I'm gonna scream. hehehe
There better not be one for "chestnut" or "black" ... or else I'm gonna scream. hehehe
Did you use their contact form and let them know about the typos? Brunette/brunet having already been discussed as a non-issue, the bresths does need to be fixed. I'd let them know, but I have no idea where you found that typo. LI is very good about getting things on the site corrected quickly, unlike some publishers I could mention.
Breaking my AW silence to post a warning, particularly for overseas writers.
For a while now, my cheques from Loose Id have been arriving later and later, if at all. I'd say for the past year I've had to email Jo in the finance department every month to say "My royalties are late; where are they?" (More politely than that, of course.)
At first I would get "The cheque's in the mail," as a reply and it would arrive a couple of days later. Then it would take a week to arrive. Then a couple of weeks.
At one point Jo admitted to me (at the end of last year) she had simply 'forgotten' to put my cheque in the post. The missing money was added on to a later cheque, but I had to get in touch with her on a number of occasions to say "I still haven't received it."
Anyway, I got tired of hearing the same old excuses and I realised it wasn't a once-or-twice thing. Each month brought a longer wait to receive my royalties.
So a few months back I emailed Doreen, the Chief Financial Officer. She apologised for the delay in payment and assured me they would do everything they could to fix it. She also pointed out that sending paper cheques to overseas people involved more staff members, three of whom only worked part-time. (How their staffing is my problem, I don't know, especially as all of my other publishers manage to pay me on time, and that includes one in the US and another in Canada.)
At no point has anyone explained to me how come I used to receive my cheques by the fifth of the month following the statement, whereas now they arrive weeks late, if at all. In fact, I was told by Jo that the "You will receive your cheque by the fifth of next month," printed on each email statement is automatic, and does not apply to overseas writers.
Which puzzles me, because isn't it just overseas writers who are paid in paper cheques? Anyway, nothing changed. I emailed the owner, Treva Harte about the absence of royalties.
I received no reply.
I then emailed Doreen, who alleged that Loose Id is one of the most prompt-paying publishers out there, and it wasn't true that I'm not being paid.
I'd love to know where my cheques are, then.
As for prompt? Musa pay on the 15th of every month. Carnal Passions pay on the 15th of every third month. Total-e-Bound pays on the first of every month. Loose Id? The last royalties I received were for March, and it's now June.
I've had to nag Jo in the finance department for payment nearly every month and when I go to Doreen or Treva, I get no explanation of where my money is. In fact, I recently received an email (from Doreen) saying that once the cheques were out of Loose Id's hands, they had no control over what the postal service did with them.
If it's Royal Mail's fault, I'm confused as to why certain cheques are date-stamped in the U.S. at later and later dates each month, proving they are sent out later and later each month. They only ever take a week, no longer, to get here in Scotland, once they're posted out to me.
I received email statements for April and May, and have not been paid yet for either of them.
My frustration at not getting any answers has, no doubt, affected the tone of this post, but I think that's understandable, given that I got no reply to my email to the owner, and I last received royalties for March. In short, I can no longer recommend Loose Id as a publisher, especially for overseas writers. Neither do I have plans to ever sub there again.
Edited to add: If anyone wishes to speak to me about this privately, please feel free to email me at scarlettparrish AT gmail DOT com
For a while now, my cheques from Loose Id have been arriving later and later, if at all. I'd say for the past year I've had to email Jo in the finance department every month to say "My royalties are late; where are they?" (More politely than that, of course.)
At first I would get "The cheque's in the mail," as a reply and it would arrive a couple of days later. Then it would take a week to arrive. Then a couple of weeks.
At one point Jo admitted to me (at the end of last year) she had simply 'forgotten' to put my cheque in the post. The missing money was added on to a later cheque, but I had to get in touch with her on a number of occasions to say "I still haven't received it."
Anyway, I got tired of hearing the same old excuses and I realised it wasn't a once-or-twice thing. Each month brought a longer wait to receive my royalties.
So a few months back I emailed Doreen, the Chief Financial Officer. She apologised for the delay in payment and assured me they would do everything they could to fix it. She also pointed out that sending paper cheques to overseas people involved more staff members, three of whom only worked part-time. (How their staffing is my problem, I don't know, especially as all of my other publishers manage to pay me on time, and that includes one in the US and another in Canada.)
At no point has anyone explained to me how come I used to receive my cheques by the fifth of the month following the statement, whereas now they arrive weeks late, if at all. In fact, I was told by Jo that the "You will receive your cheque by the fifth of next month," printed on each email statement is automatic, and does not apply to overseas writers.
Which puzzles me, because isn't it just overseas writers who are paid in paper cheques? Anyway, nothing changed. I emailed the owner, Treva Harte about the absence of royalties.
I received no reply.
I then emailed Doreen, who alleged that Loose Id is one of the most prompt-paying publishers out there, and it wasn't true that I'm not being paid.
I'd love to know where my cheques are, then.
As for prompt? Musa pay on the 15th of every month. Carnal Passions pay on the 15th of every third month. Total-e-Bound pays on the first of every month. Loose Id? The last royalties I received were for March, and it's now June.
I've had to nag Jo in the finance department for payment nearly every month and when I go to Doreen or Treva, I get no explanation of where my money is. In fact, I recently received an email (from Doreen) saying that once the cheques were out of Loose Id's hands, they had no control over what the postal service did with them.
If it's Royal Mail's fault, I'm confused as to why certain cheques are date-stamped in the U.S. at later and later dates each month, proving they are sent out later and later each month. They only ever take a week, no longer, to get here in Scotland, once they're posted out to me.
I received email statements for April and May, and have not been paid yet for either of them.
My frustration at not getting any answers has, no doubt, affected the tone of this post, but I think that's understandable, given that I got no reply to my email to the owner, and I last received royalties for March. In short, I can no longer recommend Loose Id as a publisher, especially for overseas writers. Neither do I have plans to ever sub there again.
Edited to add: If anyone wishes to speak to me about this privately, please feel free to email me at scarlettparrish AT gmail DOT com
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I just want to jump in and say I have received my checks regularly once I earned out my advance for my latest book (which was right away).
I can firmly tell you sending money to England is a pain in the ass. I send money there for my MIL and hubby and I tear our hair out doing so.
Sorry to hear this is happening to you Scarlett. For me, I highly recommend Loose Id.
Maybe Becky Black can chime in here too, since she is in England and publishes with LI.
I can firmly tell you sending money to England is a pain in the ass. I send money there for my MIL and hubby and I tear our hair out doing so.
Sorry to hear this is happening to you Scarlett. For me, I highly recommend Loose Id.
Maybe Becky Black can chime in here too, since she is in England and publishes with LI.
Got the 'new post in this thread' email while I was getting ready for bed, so this will have to be a quick one:
I'm in Scotland, not England.
Even so, it's not a problem sending money -- Loose Id managed it well enough before this late-payment foolishness started up. They just have to sign the paper cheque, and put it in the post. It doesn't exactly build my confidence in a publisher when they admit to simply forgetting to do so. (I have saved the email in which this statement was made.)
They don't even have to convert it into pounds. My bank does that when I pay the cheque in, taking a fee for their trouble.
Thirdly, I received word this evening that I'm not the only author this is happening to. I can't mention any names given that they contacted me privately and I assume that means they wish to remain anonymous. Suffice it to say late payment is also beginning to affect US-based authors too. I can only hope they choose to speak up; the more people who do so, the better our chances of pressuring Loose Id into paying up, and promptly.
I'm in Scotland, not England.
Even so, it's not a problem sending money -- Loose Id managed it well enough before this late-payment foolishness started up. They just have to sign the paper cheque, and put it in the post. It doesn't exactly build my confidence in a publisher when they admit to simply forgetting to do so. (I have saved the email in which this statement was made.)
They don't even have to convert it into pounds. My bank does that when I pay the cheque in, taking a fee for their trouble.
Thirdly, I received word this evening that I'm not the only author this is happening to. I can't mention any names given that they contacted me privately and I assume that means they wish to remain anonymous. Suffice it to say late payment is also beginning to affect US-based authors too. I can only hope they choose to speak up; the more people who do so, the better our chances of pressuring Loose Id into paying up, and promptly.
I'm sorry, but there is no excuse for being two months late. Especially when other pubs seem to have no issue with prompt payments. Publishing is a business. The writer does their part, and signs a contract. They have every right to expect to be paid in a timely fashion. If it is too difficult for them to mail checks overseas, then they could always switch to PayPal. It can't get much simpler than electronically transferring the money. Probably why so many epubs use it.
I have heard this from other overseas writers, as well. I'm in the States, so I hope it won't be an issue with me. Since my mms to Loose ID was written, queried, submitted, and sold in the spirit of a loss-leader for other projects, it will be an interesting experiment to follow. Plus, my checks will be routed through an extremely sharp agent who is not afraid to bark at trouble.
Hi, I have noticed the cheque does seem to have come several days later than it used to, the last few months. My post around here is pretty rubbish, so really, I'd been blaming Royal Mail. I haven't had any not arrive at all, and I'm not relying on that money to pay the bills or anything, but yes, I have definitely noticed a change.
ETA: Checking my records, it was October last year I noticed this.
ETA: Checking my records, it was October last year I noticed this.
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I can't address the failure of checks to be mailed by Loose Id, but I can state that the mail delivery here in the states is slowing down. Our postal system is in trouble due to the political climate here with some people in our government actually trying to do away with the postal service as it exists now in favor of privatizing the system--meaning corporations would take over the delivery of all mail and the US gov. would bow out. In the meantime, things have gotten really slow. Some of this slowdown is being blamed on the ever rising cost of fuel--fewer trucks are moving the mail and therefore it's taking longer for things to go from point A to point B.
As an example, used to take a couple of days for checks I sent to my Canadian author to arrive, now it can take upwards of 7-12 days from the day it's mailed.
As an example, used to take a couple of days for checks I sent to my Canadian author to arrive, now it can take upwards of 7-12 days from the day it's mailed.
A slow postal service does not explain why emails go unanswered and at other times I'm told it's untrue that I'm "not being paid". Nor does it excuse people simply forgetting to mail out cheques in the first place.
If my cheques were only 7-12 days late I'd be laughing. They are months late -- that's if they're even sent out at all.
The last lot of royalties I received were for March. It is now June.
This has been going on for over a year.
If my cheques were only 7-12 days late I'd be laughing. They are months late -- that's if they're even sent out at all.
The last lot of royalties I received were for March. It is now June.
This has been going on for over a year.