That whole "protect the author's voice" spiel sounds scarily like PA.
Actually, quite a bit of that sounds like PA.
Run. And run fast.
Actually, quite a bit of that sounds like PA.
Run. And run fast.
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Chipmunka Publishing
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priceless1
Banned
As I said, I might well be wrong: but I'm sure I read that somewhere. I was horrified at the time, and if they HAVE received such a grant my feelings have not changed.
ETA: if you look at the front page of the Chipmunka website you'll see a note thanking Arts Council England for its support. Yep, I am officially horrified.
ETA: if you look at the front page of the Chipmunka website you'll see a note thanking Arts Council England for its support. Yep, I am officially horrified.
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The contract is not just "a bit" unorthodox--it's seriously nonstandard. Even if the royalties clause has been improved, there are plenty of other bad things to be concerned about.
Chipmunka has a worthy-sounding mission, which I'm sure is in large part responsible for the grant.
- Victoria
Aloha Victoria and others.
To get a book out that dispells the myths of mental illness is more important than money to me. I did read the contract and while this is my first published book, I have published poems and articles before and do spoken word. I also have a graduate degree in English as a second language.
I have no problem with volunteers doing the editing because some of them are Harvard professors and I have been writing and editing my book for five years and think I have caught most of my errors.
I don't know Mr. Pegler personally but his mission is worthy and my book is worthy if it helps other people who have agoraphobia. I want to get my book out there with a publisher and this is a niche book with a chance to be widely read. If that turns out to be the case, then like many other self published authors I would be let out of my contract.
In any case, I see the stigma in this thread against mentally ill people actually being productive, lucid and successful writers. Some are, and we might be the 10% Chipmunka's website speaks about.
I am looking forward to promoting my book at book fairs, on the web, and with speaking engagements both locally and nationally. If those royalties find their way to my pocket, fine, but I am perfectly fine with the mentally ill being helped and I don't think that means Mr Peglars pockets. Sometimes yhou have to follow your gut instincts and trust. But I thank you for your imput and best wishes. Maya
To get a book out that dispells the myths of mental illness is more important than money to me. I did read the contract and while this is my first published book, I have published poems and articles before and do spoken word. I also have a graduate degree in English as a second language.
I have no problem with volunteers doing the editing because some of them are Harvard professors and I have been writing and editing my book for five years and think I have caught most of my errors.
I don't know Mr. Pegler personally but his mission is worthy and my book is worthy if it helps other people who have agoraphobia. I want to get my book out there with a publisher and this is a niche book with a chance to be widely read. If that turns out to be the case, then like many other self published authors I would be let out of my contract.
In any case, I see the stigma in this thread against mentally ill people actually being productive, lucid and successful writers. Some are, and we might be the 10% Chipmunka's website speaks about.
I am looking forward to promoting my book at book fairs, on the web, and with speaking engagements both locally and nationally. If those royalties find their way to my pocket, fine, but I am perfectly fine with the mentally ill being helped and I don't think that means Mr Peglars pockets. Sometimes yhou have to follow your gut instincts and trust. But I thank you for your imput and best wishes. Maya
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I don't think that this has a thing to do with a stigma against mentally ill writers.
I think that these people are trying to tell you, mayaone, if anything, that this publisher doesn't have the contacts in place to make sure that this book is widely distributed. You say that you want other people to understand your illness, but how will that happen if no one ever has the chance to buy it, or if the book is priced too highly for people to want to buy it?
I think that these people are trying to tell you, mayaone, if anything, that this publisher doesn't have the contacts in place to make sure that this book is widely distributed. You say that you want other people to understand your illness, but how will that happen if no one ever has the chance to buy it, or if the book is priced too highly for people to want to buy it?
Like Kateness said if they can't get the book out to the niche market than no one in that market is going to read it. That's what folks here are trying to get at. Sure it's noble to say 'well I really want to get my message out', but there's nothing wrong with being fairly compensated for it. And when you work so hard on something, you want to be sure it's the best possible place. If I were to trust anyone with my work, it would be someone who's proven that they can do the job. Not someone who had nice words and assurances. In order for it to help people who suffer from agoraphobia, it has to be widely avaliable. Being able to order it in a bookstore is only good so long as people know the book exists. It may be great, but if a publisher doesn't have the means to expose you to a wide audience it's just going to be lost amongst the many other books out there no one sees.
By the way, no one here has anything against mentally ill people. You may construe comments that way, but people here are a little more sympathetic than that. And as someone who also used to suffer from panic anxiety disorder and agoraphoba and still struggles with depression, I take offense to that charge. No one's bashing you, and no one's bashing the mentally ill. They're trying to warn you from going with a publisher who probably isn't a good fit for your work.
By the way, no one here has anything against mentally ill people. You may construe comments that way, but people here are a little more sympathetic than that. And as someone who also used to suffer from panic anxiety disorder and agoraphoba and still struggles with depression, I take offense to that charge. No one's bashing you, and no one's bashing the mentally ill. They're trying to warn you from going with a publisher who probably isn't a good fit for your work.
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I think the major concern that people are expressing is that this publisher may not have the distribution network or expertise to get your book out widely.
The skill sets of professors and editors are not the same. I say this as someone who has worked in university publishing, in commercial publishing, and as a university lecturer in English.
Books only have the chance to be widely read if they are widely distributed.
I am very confused by this statement. You are not self-publishing; you are publishing with Chipmunka. If your book enjoys success despite Chipmunka's lack of a strong distribution network, Chipmunka is not going to "let you out of your contract."
Bullshit. Seriously, I am saying "Bullshit" to this claim. Please provide a specific example of this anywhere in this thread. (Note: People citing Mr. Pegler's memoir for instances of his irresponsible behavior are not perpetuating a stigma about people living with mental illness--they are citing someone's self-reporting of his own past actions, some of which may strike them as worthy of concern.)
As someone who is herself living with mental illness--severe depression in my case, something I've been living with for more than 40 years--I take exception to people claiming discrimination against people living with mental illness in environments as accepting as this one.
People with mental illnesses can be great writers, great editors, and great publishers. The issues with Chipmunka are not related to its founder's or any of its authors' experiences of mental illness, but to the gulf between the business's claims and its accomplishments.
I wish you all the best with your book, but I strongly feel you have limited your audience by choosing a publisher with limited distribution. Nothing would delight me more than to be wrong about that, though.
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Hi. My name is Andy and I've been diagnosed as clinically depressed.
I'm not here to play "mine's bigger'n yours", but I haven't seen this stigma you imply. There are dozens of respected members here who have varying levels of mental illness who aren't afraid to admit it. What they are afraid of, however, is a fellow AW member getting taken by a clueless publisher and you can be damned sure that they'll speak their minds if something stinks.
If something goes wrong, however, you can also count on the membership NOT pointing at you and going "neener! neener" and singing the "I Told You So!" song. That's cheap, tacky, tasteless, and goes against everything we hold dear.
If everything works in your favor, however, I hope you can set your pride aside long enough to point at us, go "neener! neener!" and sing the "I Told You So!" song. And by "working in your favor", I mean serious distribution, editing, royalties, and promotion - everything standard we've come to expect from a reputable commercial publisher.
I understand that. However the publishing contract that you enter into for publishing a book is not the same as a publishing contract for an individual poem or article. There are issues that need to be considered such as:
- the nature of the rights being taken - my impression from the company's website is that they are taking all electronic, print publishing and audio rights. This might not be a good deal for an author because is a publisher does not, for example, have good audio book distribution, then the author may be better off giving those rights to someone who is;
- which territories those rights are being taken for - my impression from the company's website is that they are taking worldwide rights. Again, this may not be a good deal for an author if the publisher does not have good distribution and promotion in place around the world or, alternatively, does not have good contacts in place with local publishers who could publish on their behalf;
- termination rights - the website indicates that authors can terminate if they are unhappy with the book or its performance - is this properly reflected in the contract? Are there any conditions attached to termination, e.g. is a fee payable at all? Can the publisher suddenly decide to drop the book and if so, what's the procedure?
- the calculation and payment of royalties - e.g. are these calculated on the cover price of the book or is there provision for the publisher to net off costs?
There are other provisions that should be thought of as well, which is why it is always a good idea to have a lawyer with specific expertise in publishing contracts to take a look at it and let you know of the potential pitfalls.
However (and to reiterate one of my big concerns about this company), to the extent that there are problems with the contract then I would expect any responsible publisher to be prepared to negotiate on them. Chipmunka, however, specifically says that its contracts are non-negotiable. That is simply not acceptable and no matter how well-intentioned their business is (and personally, I applaud any venture that is intended to counter prejudice against mental illness) that is not an excuse to potentially treat its authors badly.
I don't necessarily have an issue with Chipmunka using volunteers for its editing, but I'd be more comforted if they provided the names and experience of those volunteers in editing professional books. It's very easy for a company to claim that it's using Harvard professors, but a Harvard professor of computer science for example, is probably not the best qualified person to edit a personal memoir.
In any event, writing a book isn't just about correcting typographical and grammatical errors. A good editor can help you with pacing and structure - they know how to break chapters down to make the reader want to turn the pages. A good editor can help take a good manuscript and turn it into something truly great.
I don't doubt that Mr Pegler's mission is worthy or that your book is worthy.
What I question is his way of going about in fulfilling that mission and whether there is a potential for him to, in essence, abuse the very people whose experiences he relies on to fulfill his mission.
The issue is whether Chipmunka is well placed to make sure that your book is widely read. From their own website, they say that they're a POD operation that won't place your books in stores (which is still where most people buy books and look for them in the first instance). The amount of electronic sales that they do is, at best, bare minimum and only consists of listing them on sites such as Amazon. How is anyone going to know that your book is there if Chipmunka is not promoting it?
At best it sounds to me as though they rely on sales to NHS conferences or sales made by the author. Authors should not have to sell books themselves, nor should they have to promote books by themselves.
Okay. Are you able to share what the termination clause in your contract says?
Where precisely have you seen evidence that anyone here is prejudiced against people with mental health problems?
Pointing out potential problems with a publisher (including where a publisher may in fact be taking advantage of people with mental health issues) is in no way evidence of stigma about people with such conditions.
My overriding concern is that by promoting itself as, in effect, the only publisher that will take mental health seriously and the only publisher that will help authors with mental health issues, Chipmunka may potentially be abusing the trust placed in it.
That is not a damning indictment of people with mental health problems. It is a concern levelled at the publisher.
If you check out the other threads in this forum, you will see similar issues that I've raised in conjunction with Chipmunka raised about other publishing companies. Poor distribution, lack of support, lack of clarity on royalties etc is a common problem and one that any author (regardless of whether they have a mental illness) can be trapped over.
Who has organised all of this? Are you organising it or is Chipmunka doing it? What sort of assistance is Chipmunka providing?
I don't know whether mentally ill people are being helped by the company, but I do know that for every book sold, Chipmunka will be making money and it won't have to pay anything to its authors unless and until their royalty level reaches £50. That means you are cash subsidising the company and that is not good publishing practice for any author.
I also fear that there is a good chance you will at some point have to spend money to promote your book before you've seen a penny back and that simply should never be the case.
Although I sincerely hope that this doesn't hold true for you, there are hundreds and hundreds of people who've posted in other threads in this Forum who have followed their gut instincts and trusted publishers, only to find themselves out of pocket at the end of it.
Incidentally, I'm someone who has suffered from depression for periods of my life - so I do know about the stigma against those with mental health problems and that's why I so utterly reject any claims that you may make about people stimatising such people on this thread.
MM
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You have no idea how many of us struggle with serious mental illness. Logically speaking you should not assume you are not the only one here with that particular issue. We just don't all choose to make it the subject of our writing or an aspect of our branding.
Show me one post that shows you a stigma against mentally ill people actually being productive. One post in this thread. Point it out to me, please.
You are wrong. This thread has nothing to do with mental illness. It just happens to be the topic covered by the publisher.
That's a pretty harsh accusation. You have no idea what the people of this thread think of the productivity of the mentally ill.
A respectful reply
First of all I do appreciate being here and learning from others who have been through the process of writing and being published. The only forum I have been on has been one for anxiety and maybe this makes me feel a bit bombarded by the passion of my fellow writers.
I want to answer the question that almost everyone asked me although this is not the most important to me. It seemed to have struck a nerve in the thread.
The stigma against mental illness is subtle and condescending as well as blatant and outrageously discriminatory. I have lived it and had to hide it all my life. You ask me to not mention the one fact that links the publisher with defamatory links because he wrote the truth as he remembered it as a person with bi polar disorder. I did not read his book yet, but saying that he is an amateur and incompetent is untrue. This man knows how to promote and how to sell. He also knows how to give the mentally ill who CAN WRITE a chance for their voice, silenced by the "Another day in Paradise" mentality. I am asked for examples in this thread, here they are
Why? do you know something this prestigious organization doesn't
A slush pile fraught with peril because the authors are mentally ill, noy good writers or because they are grateful to be recognized?
Again, why horriified, ?
Thank you for that, and I learned something here
I mispoke. not Harvard, but a UK prof but I will have the book edited by my own friend who is an editor just in case.
Anyway, above are subtle misconceptions of mental illness and publishers or anyone who admits to being mentally ill. I am a teacher and when my book comes out, I might be fired but it is more important to me to tell my co sufferers of agoraphobia that they are not alone. This is an invisible illness. I lived in a box in my walk in closet for years and years and had no hope. If I give one person hope by reading my story, I am compensated beyond my wildest dreams. I have no follow up plans on a second book but who knows. I love to write like we all do. I trust in people, have been hurt before, but still I'd rather trust and be hurt rather than be a skeptic
I meant that he might sell his rights subsidary rights to a larger publishing house if the book is somehow enjoys sucess. Tell me why they are not distributed properly.
I think any small publishing house has some of the problems that are mentioned here. I think with the economy and changes in the publishing world, we all have to self promote market, platform etc. If you are a midlist author in a big house you won't get the kind of attention that a small publisher might be able to give you.
As for Chipmunka going to mental health fairs; I was amazed that my own country , the USA doesn't even have one. I am looking forward to venture out and meet new people, promote my book and learn about writing.
Thank you for suporting my right to my views and I hope one day you will read my book "From Agoraphobia to Zen" Aloha Maya
First of all I do appreciate being here and learning from others who have been through the process of writing and being published. The only forum I have been on has been one for anxiety and maybe this makes me feel a bit bombarded by the passion of my fellow writers.
I want to answer the question that almost everyone asked me although this is not the most important to me. It seemed to have struck a nerve in the thread.
The stigma against mental illness is subtle and condescending as well as blatant and outrageously discriminatory. I have lived it and had to hide it all my life. You ask me to not mention the one fact that links the publisher with defamatory links because he wrote the truth as he remembered it as a person with bi polar disorder. I did not read his book yet, but saying that he is an amateur and incompetent is untrue. This man knows how to promote and how to sell. He also knows how to give the mentally ill who CAN WRITE a chance for their voice, silenced by the "Another day in Paradise" mentality. I am asked for examples in this thread, here they are
Why? do you know something this prestigious organization doesn't
A slush pile fraught with peril because the authors are mentally ill, noy good writers or because they are grateful to be recognized?
A "horse" who had bi polar illness during the writing of the book I am told. Should a person who has a mental illness tell the story as he sees it at the time no matter what is in it. My book has secrets that aren't pretty either and I am not branding myself as a mental health expert
Avoid the publisher because he wrote a book about his experiences, real or not
Again, why horriified, ?
Thank you for that, and I learned something here
I mispoke. not Harvard, but a UK prof but I will have the book edited by my own friend who is an editor just in case.
Anyway, above are subtle misconceptions of mental illness and publishers or anyone who admits to being mentally ill. I am a teacher and when my book comes out, I might be fired but it is more important to me to tell my co sufferers of agoraphobia that they are not alone. This is an invisible illness. I lived in a box in my walk in closet for years and years and had no hope. If I give one person hope by reading my story, I am compensated beyond my wildest dreams. I have no follow up plans on a second book but who knows. I love to write like we all do. I trust in people, have been hurt before, but still I'd rather trust and be hurt rather than be a skeptic
I meant that he might sell his rights subsidary rights to a larger publishing house if the book is somehow enjoys sucess. Tell me why they are not distributed properly.
I think any small publishing house has some of the problems that are mentioned here. I think with the economy and changes in the publishing world, we all have to self promote market, platform etc. If you are a midlist author in a big house you won't get the kind of attention that a small publisher might be able to give you.
As for Chipmunka going to mental health fairs; I was amazed that my own country , the USA doesn't even have one. I am looking forward to venture out and meet new people, promote my book and learn about writing.
Thank you for suporting my right to my views and I hope one day you will read my book "From Agoraphobia to Zen" Aloha Maya
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I'm afraid you're blinded by the desire to be published. You're reading something into these posts that just isn't there. People are talking about the business ethics of the publisher. You're misinterpreting things because you're excited about being published by them and you don't really care to hear negative feedback on their business ethics.
If there were any mental illness bashing in this thread, I would be acutely aware of it. I am bi-polar. (And you have no idea how many other people in this thread might also have mental health issues.) That doesn't mean I have a right to get a bad book published by a bad publishing company. And you must be able to see the problem with a publisher publishing his own book. What kind of standard is that book subject to? NONE. And it surprises me a little bit that you have not yet read his book.
All your accusations here are unfounded.
If there were any mental illness bashing in this thread, I would be acutely aware of it. I am bi-polar. (And you have no idea how many other people in this thread might also have mental health issues.) That doesn't mean I have a right to get a bad book published by a bad publishing company. And you must be able to see the problem with a publisher publishing his own book. What kind of standard is that book subject to? NONE. And it surprises me a little bit that you have not yet read his book.
All your accusations here are unfounded.
So you're choosing to label everyone on this thread as being condescending to people with mental health problems based on the comments of washingtoni (someone who commented at the start of the year and has only 2 posts to their name, indicating they are not a frequent contributer to this thread) and CACTUSWENDY (a more frequent poster who was commenting on the relevant blog post rather than on Chipmunka Publishing itself)?
There are 37 other posts in this thread, none of which have made comment or judgment on people with mental health problems - all of them raising concerns about a publisher that specifically aims itself at people with mental health problems and its qualifications for getting books out and representing a good deal for such authors.
If you've signed with a publisher that you're happy with, then that's one thing. Labelling people here as stigmatising those with mental health problems on the basis of what 2 people have said, makes you equally guilty of stigmatising us.
If you check out some of the threads here on UK publishers, you'll see that there have been issues raised as regards other publishing companies that the Arts Council has previously given funds or support to (most notably, YouWriteOn/Legend Press, which was a self-publishing venture that grew from a critique/writers information site and which saw a lot of disappointed writers at the end of 2009/beginning of 2010).
What we've seen is that while the Arts Council has an admirable intent to support projects that promote themselves as either assisting authors find a publishing outlet or supporting authors from different minority groups (and I do not intend that to be perjorative) in publishing their experiences, they do not seem to do any due diligence as to the assistance that is actually provided or indeed, whether it represents a good deal for those authors.
The issue is that people assume that because a company has received Arts Council support and is displaying the Arts Council logo, then that company is problem free and a good one to sign with. As people who signed with Legend Press will tell you, that is not always so. Arts Council funding only means that the Arts Council found the mission statement worthy, it is not a warranty that the company is good for authors.
I would suggest that it's a perilous slush pile because, as Chipmunka itself recognises on its web page, there are potential legal issues for publishing books by authors with mental health issues. For example, if an author is discussing experiences with unsympathetic social worker and names those individuals, any commercial publisher is going to be concerned about the potential for a libel action - not because what the author is untrue, but because if the social worker in question found out, they may well decide to punt a claim against the publisher and the author.
Peruse the memoir section of your local bookstore and you'll find plenty of books published by people who have been through hell or who have to deal with illnesses or conditions that have been published by commercial entities. All of them will have been scrupulously edited to mitigate any potential for libel.
The book you're talking about was self-published by the man who owns/co-owns Chipmunka. Personally, I think that it's his right to publish what he wants to say because in this case, he is the only person who can be held legally accountable for the same.
The problem for Chipmunka authors is that this autobiography (which is touted throughout the Chipmunka website) is not well known - and yet it's the one they seem to be promoting the hardest. An author/publisher who cannot/has not achieved wide marketability for his own book (regardless of content) is unlikely to be able to achieve it for anyone else's. Nevertheless, this is precisely what Chipmunka claims to want to do for its authors.
Not at all. Avoid the publisher because there's nothing to indicate that he can do what he wants to do for your book.
If you self-published through Lulu, you could achieve exactly what Chimunka is offering and make money through your efforts.
I've bolded your comment for the simple reason that it goes to the heart of what I'm saying here - you shouldn't be doing any reaching out on your own. Chipmunka should be helping you. With that in mind, what (if anything) has Chipmunka told you they are going to do to help you in marketing?
Based on my experience, I would have to say that in most cases people who sign with companies like Chipmunka do so either:
1. out of relief that someone has accepted their book (usually because they have tried elsewhere and had rejections); or
2. because they have not fully researched the publisher before hand and/or do not know how commercial publishing works and so believe misleading statements such as the ones made by Chipmunka; or
3. because they see how Chipmunka advertises itself as specifically championing authors with mental health issues and therefore believe that other commercial publishers will not be sympathetic when this is not the case - anyone submitting a commercially viable publication to a publisher will be considered.
With the exception of point 3, none of this is specific to people who sign with Chipmunka - there are plenty of people who sign with publishers based on points 1 and 2 alone.
Okay. Now I'm really concerned.
Maya, you previously said: "like many other self published authors I would be let out of my contract". Being let out of your contract means that the contract is terminated, the publishing rights revert to you and you are free to contract with a commercial publisher as you choose for the republishing rights.
If however, you're saying that under the Chipmunka contract, Chipmunka has the right to sell your rights to a larger publishing house, then you don't have a right to be let out of your contract at all. Instead it sounds as though, if you achieve commercial success such that a commercial publisher wants to buy the rights, then Chipmunka has the right to negotiate those on your behalf. There is no obligation on it to agree to such terms and I would presume that it has the right to negotiate a cut of whatever advance/royalties you would otherwise receive in that situation.
That is an absolutely outrageous thing for any publisher to take and one that any author should be negotiating out of their contract.
I have previously told you about this. The books are POD. That means that they're not stocked in stores, although they will be available to order in stores and over websites like Amazon. The problem is that no one knows to order them if they don't know about the books in the first place and it's why it's so important that the publisher has a marketing scheme in place to get the word out. This is why so many POD authors find themselves frustrated after a year or so of publication - they might sell at most 100 copies of their book, but it would have been through the author's own efforts. For this reason, many POD authors find themselves having to buy copies of their own book to sell on at events that they have organised. Such authors will not get royalties on their book and if their cover price is high (which Chipmunka books are), then they usually have to sell at a loss to get rid of them.
Yes, authors do have to get involved in promotion. They should not be the only ones doing the promotion.
A midlist author at Penguin will have got an advance and will be receiving royalties at least twice a year (and won't have to wait for royalties to hit £50 before receiving them). A commercial small publisher will be publishing an offset run to get the books into stores, so that it can maximise sales.
I don't see Chipmunka authors getting any of that.
MM
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And you accused us of being part of it, essentially of being bigots, just because we are trying to tell you about the severe limitations and serious flaws of your publisher. I suggest you retract that accusation, rather than just skate over it, if you want to move forward with this discussion in a constructive way.
Everyone on this very diverse forum is treated and respected (to the best of our abilities) as a writer, first and foremost. And as a writer they are expected to honestly appreciate all facets the industry they are in or are entering.
Your experience of being mentally ill is valid, as is mine, as is that of others on this thread. In order to receive the full benefit of this forum you need to give respect as well as receive it. And, while you may not see it, you are receiving it. People here are not criticising you, they are criticising the publisher--and mainly for clearly stated and objective reasons.
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http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=49 MMM yeah, did you even bother to check out this part of AW? A part which has many support threads on various types of mental illness?
All I see here is someone who wants to hear one opinion only on this press, her own.
All I see here is someone who wants to hear one opinion only on this press, her own.
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Writing and publishing a book doesn't equate the right experience to do your book any favours. If he's sold thousands of copies I might agree that he knows how to sell a book. Given that this is unlikely, what makes you think he can do any better for you? Take a perusal through this forum, look at how many other writers-turned-publishers started (and ended). Ignore any mental issues for the moment, his inexperience still doesn't make him qualified to publish people's work. If he had worked at a commercial publisher, or an agency that would put him in a better position.
Avoid the publisher because he has no experience, not because he suffers from a mental illness.
Avoid the publisher because he has no experience, not because he suffers from a mental illness.
I am here to learn and am not just wanting my opinion to be heard. I want, however to speak for others with agoraphobia and other anxiety disorders. I think my publisher does speak for the mentally ill and help them. I am studying all the threads and learning. I feel I am being misunderstood. I am new and if I offended anyone I am sorry but I don't feel my publisher is like PA. My son, Jason Luis Hawaii Rivera, who wrote "Sorrows Crows" with them and is severely mentally ill wouldn't let anyone edit his wonderful book of poetry and it has spelling errors on every page They allowed him to publish it and suggested his family and friends buy the book so I do know a bit about bad vanity publishers. I am not saying anyone on this board is against the mentally ill, just saying that the stigma against mentally ill persons is subtle and widespread as well as misunderstood that you have to be in it to truly understood the pain. I think my publisher was in it and truly feels for the people that he is helping. He can't do it by himself. He is just starting out. I know I can get my book out at first to my local bookstores who support local writers and go from there. I apologize if I offended anyone. It was not my intention. I will look into every suggestion and see how I can do it better. Much aloha from Hawaii Maya
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Unimportant
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Have you noticed how many members here have said that they are "in it"? I, like so many participants here, have been diagnosed with a mental illness.
No one here is saying that a person with depression, agoraphobia, panic disorder, etc cannot write a good book or cannot get their books published. We all know (or are) people who have written and published books. No one here is saying that a person with depression, agoraphobia, panic disorder, etc cannot be a good publisher. What we are saying is that:
1. A publisher who does not practice strong editorial selection in their aquisitions is likely to be publishing a lot of crap, because all publishers receive a plethora of crap submissions.
2. A publisher who does not work with distributors that have a marketing team have little to no market penetration and so their authors are unlikely to sell many -- or any -- copies of their books.
3. A publisher whose "lead title" is authored by the owner of the publishing house is not likely to promote other authors' titles to the same degree as their own, putting those other authors at a disadvantage.
4. A publisher whose contract is not industry standard with regards to royalty rates, rights reversion clause, options on future works, rights licensed, etc is trying to screw over the author.
Would you lease a car from a sales yard where the cars had undergone no mechanic's inspection, whose cars were known to break down frequently, who charged twice the standard lease price, whose lease contract required you to pay for any mechanical repairs to the car you leased and to pay to have the dealership's display car washed twice a week, and whose lease contract forced you to lease the car for a 25 year period -- simply because the owner of the car dealership had the same disease as you?
Thank you for your good wishes.. What I meant is that in general anywhere, there is a peception that the homeless and mentally ill of which I advocate for are somewhat less than. I see this in my work with the homeless/mentally ill as well as when I was not "acting normal" according to society. I don't know everyone on this board, and I am sorry to have made a wrong impressiion but I still say in general, there would be a percentage in any large group, that have a misconception about the above population. AS for the above comment, I appreciate the common sense of it, but don't think it applies to Chipmunka. Anyone who is a genius such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Columbus, were scoffed at by others who didn't believe in their vision. I don't think because the CEO of Chipmunka is a published author that he is not motivated to promote other authors. I think that's his mission. I also don't think his books can't be in bookstores. I just read that if he does POD publishing with Lightening Source, his books will be in the catalog of
http://absolutewrite.com/novels/how_to_get_your_self.htm
Ingram Baker, and be available in bookstores and Chipmunka uses LS please see above link
Also, I think Chipmunka does marketing with a special knowledge of the niche they are dealing with and have good relations with that niche and won many awards so they are in the know in mental health publishing. Maybe they are the only mental health publisher.
AS for industry standard, I agree with you there but I think Chipmunka is a work in progess and they are improving this all the time. I hope I don't get screwed from them but as in life there are no guarantees. It is more that they have the same disease, its that they are advocating for good authors with the disease. In addition. I am partnering with mental health agencies in the USA and will do my best to sell my book. Now, two things might happen. I will not make money and then my publisher won't either, or I sell a lot of books, don't make money but my publisher does and donates it mental health agencies or I won't make money but I will work my buns off to make the subject of agoraphobia known and my fellow sufferers feel better to not be alone in this truly invisible disease. I will have fun and meet a lot of people traveling around with my couchsurfing team or I will make money. Either way I win. or someone does. I have already made more friends writing and trying to get published than I did in my years in the closet. I hope someone here will be my friend too. Aloha Maya
http://absolutewrite.com/novels/how_to_get_your_self.htm
Ingram Baker, and be available in bookstores and Chipmunka uses LS please see above link
Also, I think Chipmunka does marketing with a special knowledge of the niche they are dealing with and have good relations with that niche and won many awards so they are in the know in mental health publishing. Maybe they are the only mental health publisher.
AS for industry standard, I agree with you there but I think Chipmunka is a work in progess and they are improving this all the time. I hope I don't get screwed from them but as in life there are no guarantees. It is more that they have the same disease, its that they are advocating for good authors with the disease. In addition. I am partnering with mental health agencies in the USA and will do my best to sell my book. Now, two things might happen. I will not make money and then my publisher won't either, or I sell a lot of books, don't make money but my publisher does and donates it mental health agencies or I won't make money but I will work my buns off to make the subject of agoraphobia known and my fellow sufferers feel better to not be alone in this truly invisible disease. I will have fun and meet a lot of people traveling around with my couchsurfing team or I will make money. Either way I win. or someone does. I have already made more friends writing and trying to get published than I did in my years in the closet. I hope someone here will be my friend too. Aloha Maya
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Wait. What? If a publisher is making a lot of money and donating it to mental health agencies...I'm lost. Are you implying you'd rather your publisher withhold your royalties -- money to which you are entitled as stipulated in whatever contract you've signed with them -- and donate them to mental health agencies? IANAL but isn't that borderline illegal? Take the money and donate it yourself. You'll be able to take the deduction.
Please don't use the Bill Gates example and compare it to this guy. Bill Gates had a background in computers; he knew what he was doing. This publisher has no industry experience. There's a big difference.
Every publisher in operation is listed in these databases. Know what's going to make the difference when bookstores look at which titles to stock? Sales teams. If no one's pitching your book to book buyers, it's not ever going to see a shelf unless you walk into a store and convince the manager to stock some.
To be blunt, I've never heard of them. And the books that were recommended to me when I was in treatment for my panic anxiety disorder and agoraphobia were books written by doctors. I find it unlikely they'd be the only mental health publisher.
A publisher should never be a work-in-progress. A publisher is either ready to go or they're not.
Not encouraging, on either front don't you think? If your publisher doesn't make money, how is he to stay in business?
Again, how will he stay in business?
And be out a lot of money, unless your publisher is footing the bill for your travels.
You seem like you're set with your decision, you keep giving reasons supporting your decision. That's fine, and I guess all one could say now is hope it works out for you. Maybe you'll be one of the very very very few who manages to make this situation work, I don't know. But what I do know is that you would have been better off with a publisher with a proven track record.