[Publisher] Snowbooks, Ltd.

Snowbooks

Miranda, I submitted my novel to Snowbooks at the beginning of May. In November I still hadn't received a reply so I emailed them asking for confirmation of receipt. I received a reply from Anna the next day confirming that they'd received my proposal and they'd be in touch in due course. I've not heard anything since, but I'm of the opinion that no news is good news! Keeping my fingers crossed. You never know...

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you too!

Hello, Emma from Snowbooks here. Just a note to say that, as ever, our reading times are pretty long at the moment. I thought it worth mentioning that you're always most welcome to email me if you want. I'll most likely say that we haven't got to your submission yet - we read in order of date received - but sometimes it's just nice to make contact. So feel free to email: it's [email protected].

Thanks for the communication and thoughtfulness, Emma.

Tri

I finally got an R on something I sent them just over a year ago and had given up for dead, so if anyone's still waiting they're obviously still reading!

Me, too

I got a R yesterday from something I sent almost exactly a year ago. I did appreciate hearing because I thought since I hadn't heard from them in so long, it was a "no" anyway. I sent something else along.

Hello to all, first post here.

I'm new to writing so I don't know some of the protocol and etiquette of the industry. I have a question about Snowbooks, although it could be attributed to any publisher, that I would like answered.

I submitted a manuscript on 24th November 2011. I'd looked around, including on this site, and knew they'd take a long time. Based on some advice here I emailed after three months and the next day I was told they were still looking through October's submissions. A month later I thought it was worthwhile asking again so I emailed Emma directly (I replied from the earlier conversation over the email so I didn't email the info address). I didn't get a reply so I thought it must have been a problem emailing Emma directly so I tried emailing the info address again just over a week later but was told the address didn't exist. I emailed Emma directly again but still haven't had a reply, this was 10 days ago from my posting this.

I just wanted to know if anyone had advice about approaching, whether or not I should call, try emailing again or just wait. I really like Snowbooks and have heard good things about them so I don't want to risk offending them or annoying them but I'm becoming desperate for any sort of reply.

Thanks in advance

Stop hassling them. Seriously. It won't help them look at your book any quicker and it will just get on their nerves.

Replies seeming to be taking a year right now. So the best thing you can do is forget about it and submit to other publishers.

And the main thing you need to learn is patience.

When they say "very brief synopsis," do they mean a couple of lines or one or two short paragraphs?

I think I wrote one side of A4 in single space. I can't remember if they said 'brief' or 'very brief'.

I would imagine one line or paragraph is more of a blurb

Mad_Hatter said:

I submitted a manuscript on 24th November 2011. I'd looked around, including on this site, and knew they'd take a long time. Based on some advice here I emailed after three months and the next day I was told they were still looking through October's submissions. A month later I thought it was worthwhile asking again so I emailed Emma directly (I replied from the earlier conversation over the email so I didn't email the info address). I didn't get a reply so I thought it must have been a problem emailing Emma directly so I tried emailing the info address again just over a week later but was told the address didn't exist. I emailed Emma directly again but still haven't had a reply, this was 10 days ago from my posting this.

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I'd have to double check my dates, but I think I got an R a few weeks ago from a sub I made last July. It worked out for me - the book was published in January.

In any case, October to now is nothing. Relax and write something else.

Seun, are you expecting Mad Hatter to still be here?

mirandashell said:

I think I wrote one side of A4 in single space. I can't remember if they said 'brief' or 'very brief'.

I would imagine one line or paragraph is more of a blurb

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Thanks.

mirandashell said:

Seun, are you expecting Mad Hatter to still be here?

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I just noticed the date they posted that. Oh, well.

Does anyone know if they are still in business? Last time I checked their website was down some time. Thanks.

kelliewallace said:

Does anyone know if they are still in business? Last time I checked their website was down some time. Thanks.

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Looks like they're still there
https://snowbooks.bibliocloud.com/webs/home

I would assume they're still alive and kicking. I sent them a full 9-21-2012, so I have a wait on my hands. I still love this publisher--they're response time may be very long, but they're one of the few nice ones that have always answered me with a rejection/comments. Always. I'll go check their site.

tri

Willie beat me to it. It's a new website.

Just for info, I got a rejection from them nine months after I submitted to the day. I'd forgotten who they were.
There was a note apologizing for the long delay.

For anyone still looking at this thread...a friend of mine just got published by Snow books and the saga will put you off them completely. Snow books took months and months to print it ( going way past the contract date ) It became a long running joke in the end. It was always going to be 'out soon'. When it was on sale Snow books didn't even tell him. Then the book itself looks like it was self published at a fairground for pennies. The layout is honestly terrible and the quality of the book is cheap. The jacket doesn't fit the book. I felt so sorry for him. So...if you got rebuffed by Snow books you may feel sad but you missed a bullet. It is an example of how if you choose a bad publisher you may as well toss your book in the trash.

Absolutely dodged a bullet. My first three books are with Snowbooks and my agent got my rights back for all three. It's sad, really, because when I'd originally queried them nearly five years ago, they were an award winning publisher but things went south after my first novel SHADE FRIGHT got published. I've had interactions with a couple of their authors and the same disappointments I've experienced, they too experienced.

I doubt very much Snowbooks is actively publishing anything these days. There was some very innovative thinking at Snowbooks, but if I could turn back the clock now, I would have held onto that first manuscript and kept on trying with a more established publisher. In view of my experiences, I certainly can't recommend them to an aspiring author.

It's too bad. I enjoyed some books they published. They used to put out a good product.

They won't talk to me...

According to Snowbooks' website, they have temporarily closed their submissions list because they have a "full publishing programme" for the next two years. Anything received after 15 June will not be looked at. I sent sent them a proposal in December 2013, over ten months ago, and still haven't heard anything. In the summer I sent chase emails to Anna and Emma, but received no reply from either. I suppose that's that ... On the other hand, from some of the more recent comments on this site, maybe I'd be better off self-publishing on a site like FeedARead...

FeedARead isn't self publishing, it's vanity publishing.

I've only read a couple of books from this publisher but both were sloppily-edited. My favourite example: the use of seraglio instead of intaglio - three times!