"I have experience in business, running two small businesses for a period of thirteen years, although, these were unrelated to publishing."
That's not publishing experience, and therefore didn't prepare you to work in publishing.
A: It prepared me for business.
I have since worked for large corporate institutions, one of which had me organizing the sales and distribution of books through the leading book distributors within the UK.
I assume you weren't working for the distributor (which one was it, by the way?), but for the "large corporate institutions". Were they publishers?
A: No. They sold books and I used to deal with distributors at a head office level.
I self published my debut novel 'Infatuation - the story of the snow queen', then went on to write and publish a second 'Hilltop Manor - Gale's story'. My second novel was also serialized for free in a popular webzine, for exposure only. My experience in the world of publishing is from a personal perspective in both the corporate world and through my own endeavors.
So you have no real experience of working in publishing.
A: I do, because I had to publish these books and market them.
As a writer who only returned to the field three years ago, I have had over fifty short stories and poems published with a variety of presses; some small, some big. Some of my work has even been entered into the British Library.
I've had several hundred short stories, poems, articles and books published with a variety of presses: some small, most of them big.
A: Sincerely, congratulations!
Payments for my work have either been for exposure or very little monetary payment; of which I have put into 'Horrified Press'.
Payment via exposure is very rarely worth working for.
A: Not always the case, but if that is what you have experienced... okay.
If you wish to know if I have any professional training, the answer is yes and no. I'll explain...
Did I study my craft through recognized learning institutions after I left college education? No. Did I work hard with recognized, published authors to learn my skills in the field? Yes. For three years I knuckled down and worked on my writing career every chance I could get. I did this because I love the genre and finally connected with my true calling, that of telling stories. Horrified Press was set up by myself (Nathan J.D.L. Rowark), so that I could push my own work myself and gain control over it more, putting its success firmly in my hands. After struggling to learn my craft, and perfect it to a high standard, I then made the decision that I would enjoy helping others.
To summarise: you spent three years writing for exposure or very little money, then decided to set up your own publisher (despite having no experience of working in publishing that I can see) in order to "help others".
Did your efforts to help others have the side benefit of getting your own work published?
A: I gained experience by working in the field and by having the advice and support of established, contracted writers to guide me. They liked my work and felt I had talent that needed refining (wasn't that true). Through the support of established authors, I became a better writer. Then I decided to pass that knowledge on to other authors (where they need it), because I wanted to 'Help Others'. And I didn't need to do it to publish my own work because I already had.
This decision was encouraged by my peers, and by those who know me personally.
I'd be more impressed if you were encouraged to do this by publishing professionals who know what they're doing, and think you can do a good job.
My mother thinks that I, a plump, grey-haired housewife in her fifties, am the image of Nigella Lawson. She adores me. I am grateful for this. But I wouldn't start a business because she told me how good I'd be at it.
A: Other members of the horror writing community suggested it to me, and those who knew me supported me because I wasn't sure if it was the best thing to do. They gave me the confidence to take the next step because they believe I can make a valuable contribution to the genre.
My mother suggested nothing - she's dead.
New writers would gain free editing services and advice on how to progress. They would also gain exposure. I set about creating our first anthologies, and am so proud of our authors efforts. The quality of tales submitted was of an incredibly high standard, and the books themselves came out wonderfully. After release, around 6-8 weeks now, I set about organizing the supply chain, so they will reach even more people than they already have as the months progress.
If you're publishing the works of others, then of course you should edit their books and not charge for that. I do hope you've employed experienced, knowledgeable editors to do this work.
I'm interested to hear how you're "organizing the supply chain": do you have distribution? If so, which company is handling it for you?
Firstly, to clarify, once we clear 150 copies of the e-book edition of a book our authors have been featured, then they will receive a 60% share of that revenue, and from every 150 copies that follow. Two reasons for this. The first, it gives the author a bigger payment. Second, less administration. One payment made to each author every 150 copies sold. [/QUOTE]
If you make a payment after every 150 copies sold, and you claim this gives you less admin than publishers which pay at specific intervals, then you're suggesting that your books sell fewer than 150 copies per month, six months, or year. Which seems a very low rate of sales to me, and gives me another reason to avoid your press.
A: By organizing the supply chain, I mean making sure everything is in place and it gets to the bookstores from the main distributors. In the case of our books, when this was checked, it had to be altered through Nielsen and the distributor.
Professional editors (who became so by writing and editing in the field) have offered me assistance. It's nice to get that, and big of them to extend the hand of friendship and their reputations in this way.
Once we get our titles into bookstores (and they are currently of a quality where it is feasible), our authors could potentially reach the sales of 100 paperbacks quite quickly, and multiple times in a month.
Ah. So when you said earlier that you were going to "set about organising the supply chain", you didn't mean that you had distribution, because if you did, your books would already be in bookshops.
And if your authors "could potentially reach the sales of 100 paperbacks quite quickly" "Once [you] get our titles into bookstores", then that implies that right now, your authors aren't making as many sales as that at the moment. Which is a worry, considering that you only pay them "once [you] clear 150 copies of the e-book edition".
A: Currently we are making sales through on-line means. This means our authors are already on their way to a royalty payment. Sales would be greatly improved by having these books on bookstore shelves. Unfortunately, distributors and bookstores are separate entities. Now the supply chain has been rectified, we are ready to approach them. Samples have been delivered, letters written, and I am currently awaiting a meeting, to be scheduled by a bookstore chain and at their convenience.
If it was up to me it would be tomorrow. Everything that has been within my remit... choosing covers, designing graphics, editing our books, communicating with authors, supporting authors, has been handled with expediently and with professionalism.
I'm sorry, Mr Horrified, but I'm not impressed by your press, or by your ability to run a publishing company. I see too many flaws in your reasoning, and too many gaps in your knowledge and experience.
A: I've answered your points. My name is Nathan J.D.L. Rowark. My reasoning is fine, I have had lots of experience and have been offered the experience of long-term writers and publishers in support of my aims since the original thread was posted that started this debate on our practices. If people really want to know what our books are like, I call them on it - BUY THEM! Give our authors a chance to make their royalties quicker, and enjoy the hard work and professionalism that a small press has proved it can accomplish.