Their single pubbed title is a hardback printed through Lightening Source and is returnable. According to Ingram iPage, they don't have an indie distributor. Their writeup states that the staff are all authors so they know how
I sort of question their "highly trained" claim after reading their bios, but that isn't to say they can't be successful.
Why a Leucrota?
Well, because we’re different. We’re proud of our uniqueness, running ahead of the pack in innovative ideas and social concepts, testing limits and working with authors and topics that many larger, conservative houses won’t risk.
This is a case of tell vs. show. Don't
tell people you're different and unique - that is a template, boilerplate statement.
How are they running ahead of the pack with innovative ideas and social concepts. What
is a social concept anyway? How are they testing limits? Stating that they'll take work that the big houses won't take is also boilerplate. It's fluff that's meant to appeal to an author's emotions. But there is no substance behind it because they only have one title, written by one of the owners, to their credit, and, according to Ingram iPage, they have zero in stock and no backorder.
All of the staff are authors or artists themselves – so we know what it’s like to be on both sides of the spectrum, and our mission is to guide authors away from the dreaded slush pile and onto the bookshelves.
Being an author and knowing both sides of the writing desk doesn't translate to sales. This statement accomplishes little more than claiming there is empathy for the writer, which is nice, but it doesn't sell books. This is meant to make writers feel good about their company. But it lacks substance and proof they can accomplish their goals.
As read on their Publishing Profile:
Leucrota Press employs a hybrid production strategy in order to keep costs down, allowing us to offer authors above-market royalties and limit returns. Hybrid production means the use of both traditional high-volume printing as well as state-of-the-art digital Print-On-Demand (POD) printing. Offset printing is used for high-demand books for distribution nationwide to large booksellers and private businesses. POD printing is used for lower-demand projects, such as a new author’s first run and as an international ordering backup.
Hybrid? Okay, I guess that works. I'm of a mind that most of their works will be POD given that their
marketing person's experience is woefully thin. It's financially suicidal to do an offset run of thousands without being confident those puppies are going to go home in someone's shopping bag. That takes marketing skills from someone who understands the business and getting a distributor.
I don't think these guys are scammy in any way. I think they have very good intentions but are clueless right now. It's good they're moving slowly. Hopefully they're using this time to consult with publishing professionals and discover exactly how difficult and expensive it is be a publisher and what they're going to do to compete in a competitive market.