Went through the site and have set out a flog below:
Windy City Website:
I
n the midst of an evolving industry, Windy City Publishers (WCP) has created a publishing model that rises above chance and uncertainty, and offers authors the opportunity to be successfully published
and marketed.
Hyperbole. There's no such thing as a business model that "rises above chance and uncertainty" because there's no such thing as a sure thing. I'd also be interested in knowing how they define "successfully published and marketed" because to my way of thinking, those things aren't separate.
Windy City Website:
We believe our
Comprehensive Publishing System is your best chance for publishing success. The benefits to WCP authors include:
- Multi-phase editing
- Cutting-edge cover design and interior layout
- Book Marketing Essentials – a professionally developed, customized marketing plan
- Website creation
- Personalized coaching to maximize social media
- Dedicated book team assigned to your project
- Distribution through main industry channels
No idea what (1) means, but all commercial publishers edit and hire professional editors to work with editors to produce a produce they can sell. Ditto (2). Ditto (7).
(3), (4), (5) and (6) suggest to me that the author will end up heavily involved in doing the marketing for the book. It shouldn't just be the author doing that - I'd want to know what the "dedicated book team" is doing on the author's behalf.
Windy City:
Unlike a traditional publisher, with Windy City you own 100% of the rights to your material.
Firstly, if this is referring to copyright, then you always keep your copyright with a commercial publisher.
Secondly, whichever publisher you sign with, you are always giving up publishing rights.
Either way, this statement is inaccurate and suggests that the company doesn't know what it's talking about.
Windy City:
And though we are author-funded, we do not share in any profit until you have made back your original investment.
If Windy City is author funded then Windy City has already made its money up front and can afford for the author to take the risk on never selling enough books to make back the "investment".
Windy City Website:
In addition, our profit sharing model is the opposite of a traditional publisher’s where they take up to 95%.
Traditional Profit Splits:
Author 5-10%
Publisher 90-95% WCP Profit Splits:
Author 80%
WCP 20%
Bear in mind that a commercial publishing model is also opposite to Windy City's in that a commercial publisher pays the author up front for the book by way of an advance. The publisher takes all the risk of the book not selling enough copies to make back that investment. Here the author is taking all the risk of not selling enough copies. Having the potential to make 80% royalties on copies sold isn't very enticing if you have to (a) pay anything up to $10,000 to get that book made and then (b) sell thousands of copies before you start making money on it.
When you bear in mind that many self-published/vanity published authors never sell more than 100 copies, you get an idea of why this "profit sharing model" is pretty much worthless.
Windy City Website:
Because Windy City is literally your partner in this venture, we have a vested interest in making sure your book is as successful as possible.
Really? Because the way I see it, Windy City is paid up front for its services so I don't see where its risk is (and it's the risk that gives it a "vested interest" in making the book a success).
Windy City Website:
Each manuscript goes through a highly selective process prior to acceptance and is screened for content, marketability, and author compatibility with the Windy City team and philosophy. Our average fees range from $7,500 - $10,000 and include up to 15 different members, including editors, designers, webmasters, marketing strategists, and distributors.
The problem is that there's always going to be a perception that the "content, marketability and author compatability" will be affected by the ability of the author to pay $7,500 to $10,000. (And I have never heard of a commercial publisher needing to assess "author compatability" as a condition to publication).
Windy City Website:
WCP’s Business Philosophy
We believe in an honest day’s work, a respectful working environment, consideration for our planet and the life that inhabits it, and a belief that our family and friends form the foundation for our lives. Notwithstanding the seriousness in which we take our business, we have decreed that unless we enjoy whom we work with and the atmosphere in which we work, we won’t do it.
That's all lovely. How does it tie in with selling books?
Windy City Website:
1) Multi-Phase Editing
- One marketing edit to determine the overall viability of your book in the marketplace
- One substantive edit to shape organizational structure, logic, design, consistency of narrative voice, timeline structure, character development, and more
- One copy edit for punctuation and grammar, sentence structure, and ongoing substantive development
- One proofread edit to provide the final check for inconsistencies of your text and layout before your book goes to market
Is that it? Most people I know who've been commercially published get more than that - they work very closely with their editors, doing numerous turn arounds of their manuscript before it's deemed ready for publication.
Windy City Website:
3) Customized Book Cover Design Your book consists of a front cover, spine, and back cover. Each element is professionally designed, and WCP’s experienced copywriters write all the copy.
Check out Windy City's own book store:
http://www.windycitypublishers.com/store.html
Of those 3 covers, does anyone else think they look like clip art and/or stock photographs?
Windy City Website:
4) Website Creation
You receive a customized website that includes up to 5 pages to help promote you and your book. One of these pages is a Media Kit that will include your press release and other essential publicity materials
You can create a website yourself for free without your publisher doing it for you. In addition, I'd want to know whether any conditions apply to the website and how much control the author has over it. The last thing you need is to find that the publisher can shut it down once your contract is over.
Windy City Website:
5) Marketing and Publicity – Book Marketing Essentials™ Windy City Publishers creates a roadmap for each author that will enable you to easily implement your marketing plan. We develop the plan for you to execute.
Our three part, trademarked marketing system provides the following professionally developed services:
- Part One – How to Market Fiction/Nonfiction Books
- Part Two – Customized Marketing Strategy for each author
- Part Three – Timelines and Templates to ease promotional activities
Note that there are no details at all of what this comprises. To be honest, authors shouldn't need to be told how to do the marketing - that should be done by the publisher with the author feeding in as needed.
Windy City Website:
6)Promotional Materials WCP designs and produces the following materials that will be used to help market your book:
- Business Card
- Sell Sheets
- 3’x2’ Display of your Front Cover
- 8.5" X 11" Promotional Poster for Book Events
With the exception of business cards (which an author can print themselves very cheaply and which, while useful for networking, never really seem useful for selling books) these materials will all be provided for free by commercial publishers.
Windy City Website:
7) Publishing – WCP adheres to traditional standards regarding set-up and necessary distribution elements including:
- ISBN
- EAN bar code
- Copyright
- Library of Congress registration
- R.R. Bowker’s ‘Books in Print’
These are all no brainer things that a publisher "invested in making your book successful" should be doing anyway and not as some kind of service.
Windy City Website:
8) Distribution Networks
- Ingram
- Baker and Taylor
- Amazon.com
- Barnes&Noble.com
So basically, books will be available to order from stores, but won't be available in stores. That's an important distinction and one authors need to be aware of because it will make it a lot harder to sell the volume of books required to make back that "initial investment".
Windy City Website:
Windy City Publishers has set itself apart from other publishers by providing Book Marketing Essentials™ to its authors. Book Marketing Essentials™ (or BME) is unique to Windy City and was developed by a professional marketer with 25 years of experience.
All commercial publishers promote and market their book so there's nothing distinctive here.
Windy City Website:
BME not only educates each author on the general marketing information specific to the book industry, but it also includes a customized marketing plan that takes advantage of each author�s specific marketing strengths, professional networks, and personal connections.
So basically, the author is going to be doing most of the marketing? I ask because there is absolutely nothing on the website indicating what Windy City will do on an author's behalf to get the word out there.
BME Part 1: How to Market Fiction/Nonfiction Books
These 75+ page reference books, written by Windy City Publishers, provide an overview of the process that goes into marketing a book. Specific to publishing a fiction or nonfiction book – depending on your needs – these reference guides describe marketing concepts that may be unfamiliar to you, but are critical in developing and promoting your book. After reading this book, you will understand that the success of your book is directly correlated with strategic decisions made early in the planning process.
A 75 page reference book? Seriously? Instead of spending time doing that, Windy City should have been developing its own marketing strategy for its authors.
Windy City Website:
BME Part 2: Customized Strategic Marketing Plan
Windy City’s marketing professionals will develop a personalized marketing roadmap for your book. Your input is critical to this process. With your feedback, we will develop a plan that incorporates your goals, your book’s positioning, and key communication messages (including copy for your cover, website, and promotional materials), and we will recommend specific promotional tactics, including social media strategies. In addition, we provide a press release and other key media elements needed for your press kit. This personalized roadmap will guide you on how to successfully market your book
From the sounds of it, Windy City isn't doing an awful lot - just telling the author what they should be doing. It's likely that the author will find those efforts unlikely to pay off given that books won't be in stores.
Windy City Website:
BME Part 3: Templates and Timelines
Our standardized templates and timelines provide a marketing guidance system for what needs to be done when specific opportunities present themselves after you have completed the publishing process. Included are personalized forms, letters, and checklists tailored to your project to make things as easy as possible. We also identify a list of awards based on your genre for you to submit your book to help with your future marketing efforts.
Template letters and checklists? Wow. There's nothing like the personal touch ...
Also, it's amusing that the author even has to submit their own book for potential awards. Most commercial publishers do that themselves because they recognise the potential for increased sales.
Windy City Website:
There are thousands of agents, and getting one to call you back is like winning the lottery.
I do wonder if Lise Marinelli (President and founder of Windy City) followed submission guidelines or just expected agents to call her out of the blue.
Windy City Website:
Even if you do get an agent, getting a publisher is even more difficult.
It's easier to get a publisher if you have a good agent (although as with anything, there is no guarantee). Having an agent most definitely does not make it difficult to get a publisher unless you have a bad agent.
Windy City Website:
Less than 2% of books written are published traditionally, so even if you have written The Great American Novel, the odds are not in your favor.
That's because less than 2% of books are commercially publishable.
For the other 98% though, there's always self/vanity publishing as with Windy City.
Windy City Website:
I wasn’t even an English or journalism major – I was an accountant and a stay-at-home mom.
So Lise Marinelli (President and founder of Windy City) has no previous experience in publishing and this is basically her self-publishing venture (I say that because I note that hers is one of the books published by the company).
Windy City Website:
I wanted a real publisher. I wanted a team of professionals/experts who would take the time to talk with me and handle my manuscript as if it was theirs. I wanted a professional product, one that I could be proud of, and one that my publisher would stand behind.
This scenario didn’t exist. There was the group in Texas that would do something similar to what I wanted, but it would cost me forty thousand dollars. We don’t have that kind of cash – sure we could take a second mortgage out, and in my overwhelming desire to get my story out, I was willing to do that. But, my husband, and the voice of reason at that point, pointed out that going deeply into debt would not be a good plan for us.
I've never heard of a self-publishing/vanity publisher charging $40k for their services (although I wouldn't put it past some). I note that Lise doesn't give their name - that always helps to establish credibility.
At the same time, I'm amused that an accountant has to be told by her husband that it's stupid to pay $40k to publish a book. But not as amused as I am that she's assessed $7,500 to $10,000 as being a far more reasonable amount to pay. I'm sure that we all have that kind of cash floating around to spend on a vanity project.
Windy City Website:
Next, we started recruiting employees from all over the U.S. to help WCP realize our vision of giving unknown authors their best chance for success.
If you check out the bio information on the employees:
http://www.windycitypublishers.com/contact.html
It's interesting how few of them have worked for commercial publishers (although some seem to have considerable experience in their respective fields).
Windy City Website:
Kristyn helped me understand that my book was my brand. Oprah’s couch, as well as precious shelf space at Barnes & Noble, is by invitation only and those invites are driven by book sales. Book sales happen when readers know about your book and when they can easily find it. There’s a method to the madness, and I learned very quickly that my book was a product and it had to be treated as one. I needed a marketing plan, distribution channels, ISBNs, barcodes, and a host of other things, critical for a successful "product."
Shelf space in Barnes and Noble is not an invitation only affair. If you're able to meet their commercial terms on price and returnability you can have a spot. This statement suggests that the company's not able to do that and isn't actually that interested in getting books into stores, which is unfortunately a critical factor in achieving sales.
Windy City Website:
MAG MILE BOOKS publishes nonfiction in the following genres:
• Biography
• Memoirs
• Health
• Mind and Body
• Hobbies
• Poetry
• History
• Social Sciences
The fact that the company publishes poetry is an automatic red flag. There is no market in poetry and I would suggest that it's highly unlikely any poet will sell enough copies of their work to make back their investment.
Windy City Website:
Pre-Publishing is designed to help writers organize their thoughts and notes into book format. Many authors have the ideas, the talent, and the material, but need some assistance in outlining, story arching, and laying it out. For authors who intend to publish with Windy City, we offer this service at a low hourly rate.
An author can do this for free without having to pay someone who themselves failed to get commercially published to do it for them (and on an hourly rate no less).
Windy City Website:
Post-Publishing is set up to assist authors who have been published either by traditional means or by themselves through a self-publisher. WCP will focus primarily on the marketing and distribution aspects, but the book will still go through our editing and publishing process. WCP is aware of the resources already spent and has set our prices accordingly.
If you've been commercially published, why would you want to pay Windy City to do what, speaking personally, seems to be marketing of minimal value? Your publisher will already be doing most of it for you anyway.
If you've been self-published, again - why pay for Windy City to do marketing that seems to be of minimal value?
Windy City Website:
Windy City will provide each author with a customized quote that takes into consideration the extent of services needed.
I couldn't find any list of rates on the site. That's not a good sign. Given that many of the "services" being provided should be standard, there should be a means up front for authors to work out how much they're likely to have to pay.
Windy City Website:
There are so many publishing options for writers — self-publishing, vanity presses, virtual publishing, print-on-demand. How do I know what’s right for me?
There’s only one way to find out — good old-fashioned homework. It’s a whole new ball game in the publishing world and you have many options to choose from, but no one can make that decision except for you. Ask advice from other authors in some of the writers forums, and do some comparison shopping. Make sure to read the fine print so you are comparing apples to apples. Remember the adage, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Good advice.
Windy City Website:
Windy City is a hybrid publisher. What does that mean?
WCP has championed the concept of hybrid publishing. We believe it offers writers the best aspects of both traditional and self-publishing. There are definitely advantages in both areas, but there are major drawbacks, as well. WCP has taken the sophistication of a traditional house and the simplicity of a self-publisher and tweaked it to encompass all the elements needed for success. It’s the new direction of publishing.
I've been on these boards since 2006 and have heard of "hybrid publishing" before this company was founded in 2009 - so it's difficult to see what they mean by "championing".
Broadly, it's a pay to play operation. That means you're paying to be published (regardless of what they tell you about the manuscript's quality) and that makes you little better than vanity published.
Work out how much you're paying as against the number of books you'll have to sell before you start to see a return.
Windy City Website:
I don’t want to spend any of my own money getting published. Can’t I just get an agent and go from there?
That is definitely an option. Our experience is that it’s just not the best option. Getting an agent and then getting published is somewhat akin to winning the lottery. Also, you will not own your own material. Once you turn over your manuscript, it is out of your hands. Having said this, if you can’t afford to go another direction, then this may be your best bet. It’s not impossible.
Again with the lottery analogy. It's not a lottery.
Saying that you won't own your material is an outright lie. You retain ownership of your copyright, you're paid up front and if you sell enough copies you make royalties.
Compare that with spending up to $10k up front with no guarantee of ever selling enough copies to make a return.
Windy City Website:
Why do I have to market my book and work with a publicist? Can’t I just sell my book on Amazon?
You can. But publicity, especially on-line and social media, is an essential component of the marketing mix in today’s business world. That is why WCP has such an extensive program in these areas. We have created a formula that not only uses traditional marketing tools but also takes advantage of all the FREE ways you can publicize your book — just by using your computer. It’s important to note that this is not an easy or quick task — it will take time, especially your time. We can give you the tools and show you how to use them, but we can’t do it for you.
Yes, but what does Windy City do for you? It seems that you pay the money and then have to do most of the selling yourself. It's not that they can't do it for you, it's more that it seems as though they won't do it for you.
Windy City Website:
Do I have to pay Windy City royalties?
Windy City does participate in a profit-sharing plan, but it is very different than what other publishers do. First, we want our authors to recoup any money they have invested before sharing, so until you break even, we don’t see a dime of your royalties. Second, the portion we take is very small — between eight and ten percent. So until you have hit the big time, you keep everything.
Let's be clear about this.
You pay them to publish your book.
You then do most of the selling and marketing for your book until you make back that initial amount
that you paid.
They then take 8 - 10% of everything that you sell
after you've sold enough to make back your initial money.
Does that sound like a good deal to anyone?
Windy City Website:
What is
and why do I have to donate?
is our way of giving back to our global community. A portion of the proceeds we receive is given to non-profit organizations supporting green-friendly causes.
With your permission, we make a donation in your name to these causes, but the option to not participate is up to you. By supporting
, you are given the right to use the
logo on your book cover. This is a great way to show your support in this endeavor, and becomes an excellent talking point when working your publicity platforms.
If Windy City wants to give something back, let them do it out of their profits. I find it ridiculous that they promote this as an additional marketing tool.
MM
