Stonehedge Publishing

They a very tiny ebook publisher, it seems. They are on fictionwise ans a few other sites. Their website seems long on getting submissions and short on marketing. I dunno. I compare them to Chippewa and they seem very small by comparison.

I looked at their submission page and it seems like the only criteria they have is that you format your ms properly. Once that's done, they'll offer a contract, which means there doesn't appear to be any real editing or selection process. That's probably bad.

They're a small press which seems more focused on getting authors than readers. That's kind of bad, but not as bad as the fact that they appear to accept any submission that is properly formatted.

It might be smarter to research a publisher before submitting, not after they've offered you a contract.

The website is a bit of a mess, it took me a while to even find the books. I keep on top of epublishers focussing on romance and had never heard of them. Their site is aimed at writers, not readers. It is not clear who runs the company.

If you want to use an epublisher you could probably do better.

ccomer said:

I sent them an email asking about their marketing and editing. I am waiting to hear back from them. I do know one thing, they are better then what I went through with PA.

www.freewebs.com/ccomer

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CComer, I know you went through a lot of turmoil with your PA book, and I'm sorry you had to deal with all of that. However, if you're going select a publisher because "well, at least it's better than PublishAmerica", then there's nothing anyone here can do to help you.

Is there a reason you haven't submitted your ms to Real Publishers yet? Publishers whose books are actually in bookstores, by authors you've heard of?

I see this elsewhere: "SP’s editorial staff has many years in the business, which includes membership in major organizations, experience judging RWA sponsored contests, participations in conferences, as well as swimming in the submission drowning pool. The fact that good writers continued to remain unpublished spurred the creation of a house where writers succeed on their own merits, not the latest industry fads and formulas."

http://www.prleap.com/pr/71478/

Leading me to think this is an unsuccessful romance writer's self-publishing venture now expanding to take outside submission. This complicates my usual approach which would be to contact some of their authors and ask direct questions about sales--as there is no way to tell which of their authors are not also involved in running the press.

Given that they opened last month, have a low profile and are in a very crowded marketplace (I know of over 60 epublishers of erotic romance alone) I would predict very low sales figures.

They may well be an honest and well-meaning company but they are still not a top pick for anyone wanting to get their book in the hands of hundreds of readers.

I would suggest making a short list of appropriate presses in order of preference and submitting from the top.

The only one of those that is a major ebook distributor is fictionwise, they might sell 20-100 copies of an average romance book. However they also might sell 5 or even none if it is an unknown press with poor cover art--and as fictionwise charges $15+50% of cover price that is not a lot of earning power. Anyone can list at fictionwise, even an individual author.

Do you buy ebooks? You need to develop a feeling for the market and whether you book will sell well there. Ebook romance buyers are very aware of publisher and tend to be loyal to those with a track record of putting out quality material.

You need to get an overall picture of the publisher. They are small (less than 20 books), they produce only ebooks, they are less than a month old, they have a self-publishing aspect, their presentation is average to poor. Their sales will be low. Epublishers also have a fairly low survival rate, one opens every month or so, one goes under every two months or so.

Even a good established epress in a hot genre sells maybe about 300 copies in the first year. Only the top 3-4 romance epresses would reach into the 1000's of copies for most titles. The newer ones may not reach double figures. If you book is not romance that is even less predicatble re: sales.

If you go with them realize what you will get, and what you won't. You will be in on the ground floor of a new company in one of the riskiest businesses there is. That is a gamble. The very first thing you should do is find out who these people are, specific names and experience. You might also try reading one of their books.

ccomer said:

Our books appear on Mobipocket, BooksonBoard, Fictionwise, Diesel books, and Blish to name a few. We're working to get them on Amazon as well.

this is where you can see their books.

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But I can print a book up at Kinkos and make it available online, that doesn't make it a legitimate publishing venture. Are Stonehedge's books available in actual stores, and are they written by authors you've heard of.

ccomer said:

I did research and found not much on them. I found them on P&E. that is why I am asking and I haven't signed anything yet.

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If you haven't found much on them, why would you submit to them? Veinglory's advice is spot on: make a list of appropriate publishers and submit to them, working from the top down.

You're working from the bottom up, which is why you started with PA.

"After our committee reviews the manuscript, we will send you an email with a contract attached or a rejection notice. Most books will earn the contract."

Sounds like another version of iUniverse, Publish America, etc.

Ccomer, bear in mind what I'm about to say comes from someone who's far from a household name (yet). In my case it's "John who...?" But having been PA printed, and then going commercial, there's something ineffably satisfying about the second way. I.e., having a commercial house--with a real editor vetting process--make you an offer, rather than "well, his check cleared, so send him a contract, Sadie." Matter of fact, there's a world of difference. Why not shoot higher to start with?

www.chippewapublishing.com

That's a good place to start. They are a well regarded ebook/small press publisher.

There are a lot of epublishers out there and quite a list even of legit, stable houses like Chippewa would be quite long [edited to say--Chippewa closed without paying all royalties owed. So, oops]. If you would like recommendations I would suggest putting a breif description of the work up. If it is erotic romance Ellora's Cave, Loose Id, Liquid Silver Books and Samhain are front runners imho. EC and Samhain also do digital printing and are getting some of their books into chain stores.

have a book with them

Through a different deal, I have an ebook with them. It is too early to tell, but so far so good.

I have no real numbers about sales, but I have only been out with them for a month or so. The book editing and cover were done by another company, so I can't speak to any of those items. I'll come back once I get a better feel for the place.

awp