Delirium Books / DarkFuse Publications

I submitted to them a while back, got a very nice rejection along with an invitation to submit again. I would recommend them. Beautiful covers too.

Willie and Seun, congrats again!!!

Just to report - I had a book launched today from Darkfuse, right on the schedule we agreed many months back. And they paid me on the day for the hardcover edition.

Darkfuse are a joy to work with, their editors know their stuff, the books are top quality, they have a thriving and growing bookclub both for hardcovers and ebooks, and I'd recommend them to all dark fantasy writers.

so i found them purely by chance from another post on here, read all of the good things people have to say about them and just sent them my novel. sucks that i'll have to wait 6 months to hear back from them but "beggars can't be choosers."
weird enough, when i went to create an account, it said my e-mail address was already registered with them. they already had all my information and everything. i guess there's a slim, slim chance i might have sent them a short story years ago but i really don't remember. but they remember me. kinda creepy. maybe that's a good sign?

williemeikle said:

I've signed a six-book deal with them for 3 novels, 3 novellas over the next 3 years, all to be published in limited edition hardcover, paperback and ebook.

I sold them an earlier novel NIGHT OF THE WENDIGO last year. The 100 copy limited hardcover edition sold out in 24 hours, and the ebook and paperback both continue to sell. Another novella outside the deal I mentioned above, CLOCKWORK DOLLS, is coming in hardcover in January 2013

I don't have a bad word to say about them. They pay advances, pay royalties on time, have great product, and care about their writers.

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They are "profit share" or something aren't they? What does that mean to authors?

Just placed another novel with Darkfuse, so I'm halfway through my six-book deal with them. ( when this deal is done I'll have 4 novels and 4 novellas with them, having sold one of each before they offered the longer deal.)

Just to reiterate - they pay on time, they pay advances, their editors know their stuff, and the books are high quality, especially the limited edition hardcovers.

A joy to work with.

gingerwoman said:

They are "profit share" or something aren't they?

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Nope.

Okay, made a stab at with sending Dispossessed Incorporated, a ghost/fantasy/thriller that just happened to have a little humor in it in places. I hope that doesn't distract from it, but it was worth a try. I think my military espionage thriller was too afar away from their tastes, so kept that one.

tri

They are "profit share" or something aren't they?

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williemeikle said:

Nope.

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According to the company's Submittable page, DarkFuse is a profit share firm: "DarkFuse pays a flat payment for limited edition hardcover rights on or prior to publication plus a 30%-50% profit sharing revenue payout for all e-book and trade paperback sales."

Its Submittable page also discloses that DarkFuse retains publication rights for five years, and that pulling rights after the five year period results in loss of future royalties: "All rights are taken for 5 years, then revert back to the author. Any time after the five year publication period, author can pull the rights, or he or she can choose to leave them in print and continue receiving royalties."

I just don't really understand what all that means.

richcapo said:

According to the company's Submittable page, DarkFuse is a profit share firm: "DarkFuse pays a flat payment for limited edition hardcover rights on or prior to publication plus a 30%-50% profit sharing revenue payout for all e-book and trade paperback sales."

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Is it possible they are referring to a type of royalties split in different terms? Because, that's kind of how I read that. Of course, knowing what sort of language/definition surrounds that phrase "revenue payout" would be helpful.

Its Submittable page also discloses that DarkFuse retains publication rights for five years, and that pulling rights after the five year period results in loss of future royalties: "All rights are taken for 5 years, then revert back to the author. Any time after the five year publication period, author can pull the rights, or he or she can choose to leave them in print and continue receiving royalties."

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Well, you can't earn royalties on a book that's not being sold, right?

My book with Dark Fuse was released just under six weeks ago. It was accepted around about April so my relationship with them has been six months or so. There have been no problems at all in that six months. If anyone's looking for a horror publisher to sub to, I definitely recommend them.

Plus I got my sales figures today so I'm in a good mood.

ETA: My bad. My book was accepted in April. I subbed a couple of months before that.

I'm desparetly wanting to get a full from them. I sent in my previous work and they liked it, but passed. I'm hoping that this one I sent them will want them to request a full. I've always thought so highly of them. Awesome covers, they do hardcover and pay advances and it seems like their books are doing very very well.

God, have you seen some of those covers? Just wow.

I would like to hear more about this "profit sharing" thing. But it certainly doesn't scare me off, that's for sure.

Undercover said:

I'm desparetly wanting to get a full from them. I sent in my previous work and they liked it, but passed. I'm hoping that this one I sent them will want them to request a full. I've always thought so highly of them. Awesome covers, they do hardcover and pay advances and it seems like their books are doing very very well.

God, have you seen some of those covers? Just wow.

I would like to hear more about this "profit sharing" thing. But it certainly doesn't scare me off, that's for sure.

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Just wanted to correct that I sent my full ms when I submitted. Totally forgot about that. So yeah, more pressure now. haha

I wrote two books with them. They paid 50% of the "net," I believe, which is not bad, but the quality of the product is great and I got reviews from Midwest Book Review, Library Journal and other places. They also have an amazing forum where you can talk directly to members of the book club. Shane, the publisher, is a nice enough guy, but he tends to be all business - not real warm and fuzzy.

Hey, Pop. It shows. Your rankings are terrific when it comes to DF--an indication that they're doing something very right. Looks like they're standing behind your book (and others) with full support. A Library Journal review is a precious commodity, and not often seen with some of the smaller presses. I just wish they would have taken me on.

Lilith looks very interesting, BTW. Great setting.

tri

Thanks Tri! DarkFuse is great. They treated me well. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for me to sign with them again. My next three books will be with Permuted Press, also a very nice indie publisher.

Undercover, I also received a nice rejection along with an invitation to submit again. I agree that their covers are always nice.

Undercover said:

I submitted to them a while back, got a very nice rejection along with an invitation to submit again. I would recommend them. Beautiful covers too.

Willie and Seun, congrats again!!!

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Things aren't going well. The managing publisher filed for bankruptcy. The post is on their website and was mailed out to newsletter subscribers.

I was rooting for these guys. They were one of my favorite horror publishers (I read dozens of their books over the years) and had hoped to submit to them one day. I thought they were doing pretty good too, but I guess not. So sorry to hear this.

Yep, all gone.

I came out of it okay in the end... signed a contract today with Crossroad Press for them to take on both my DarkFuse back catalogue and the books that were due to be published. Nine novels and five novellas signed off in one day has to be some kind of record, right

DarkFuse did very well for me, and I'm thankful for the faith they showed in me. Plus I'll always have that nice row of limited edition hardcovers on the shelf.

Shane's a hard nosed business man and doesn't let sentiment get in the way of his decision making, so once he saw the writing on the wall, he got out. I'm due six months royalties -- whether I'll ever see them is a matter of some concern. Time will tell.

I'm doing up an article on them, does anyone know at what point Delirium became Darkfuse? They've already taken down all of the website except the bankruptcy announcement, and there's no wikipedia page for them. :-/

Congrats on finding a new home for your books so quickly Williemeikle, I can only imagine how much that has to ease your mind.

ShaunHorton said:

I'm doing up an article on them, does anyone know at what point Delirium became Darkfuse? They've already taken down all of the website except the bankruptcy announcement, and there's no wikipedia page for them. :-/

Congrats on finding a new home for your books so quickly Williemeikle, I can only imagine how much that has to ease your mind.

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I think it was in late 2011 that Delirium morphed into DarkFuse. That was when I got my first contract with them.