• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Upfront Publishing Ltd. / Minerva Press

roger

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2005
Messages
172
Reaction score
20
Location
London
Website
rogersplog.blogspot.com
The firm doesn't exist anymore. It was an outfit called Minerva Press and they went bust (there is some justice in the world). It was interesting talking to him though. He said that the firm was even misleading in the way it recruited people, as they passed themselves off as legitimate publishers, hiring very good English graduates who naively thought they were getting a first step on the publishing ladder. He got out pretty quick when he realised what was going on - ie that they would publish anything that was submitted, even highly objectionable and inflammatory material, with no hope - or serious intention - of marketing the books. And of course the authors paid. Through the noses. They had one success, amazingly, of a book that sold quite well, and used that to sucker everyone in.

I think they went bust because of the rise of print on demand. No need anymore for would-be authors to buy garage-fuls of unsellable books.
 

herdon

What's up?
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Messages
1,129
Reaction score
78
Website
ipad.about.com
Not really the right forum, but I do have to wonder why they would bother with hiring 'very good' english graduates or even 'moderate to poor' english graduates.

Unless they offered an editing service to milk more mula.
 

seun

Horror Man
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
9,709
Reaction score
2,053
Age
46
Location
uk
Website
www.lukewalkerwriter.com
Just to add to the dodgyness of upfrontpublishing, they've sent my library stock of one of their titles with an invoice for payment.

We didn't order the stock and won't be paying for it.
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,952
Reaction score
1,745
Location
Coastal Desert
Heh. Is the author a local?

Aside from that, how's the quality? Worth shelving, or destined for the sale table? Or *gasp* straight to the recycling bin?
 

seun

Horror Man
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
9,709
Reaction score
2,053
Age
46
Location
uk
Website
www.lukewalkerwriter.com
It looks pretty similar to other self-published titles I've seen. We do get them in sometimes but we usually request them first. :)
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,952
Reaction score
1,745
Location
Coastal Desert
"Upfront Publishing has now merged with Fast-Print.net"

... aka Printondemand-worldwide.com. Thread on them is here.