Aziza Publishing (http://azizapublishing.com/), founded in 2010, recently garnered what has to be some very embarrassing publicity. One of their authors asked a reviewer to sign an utterly bizarre contract between said reviewer and the author/publisher, the jaw-dropping details of which can be read here:
http://insanehussein.com/blog/2012/01/27/o-rly-a-contract-for-book-reviews/
Was this contract produced by Aziza or by the author herself? We don't know yet, but either way it it reeks of amateurism.
Aziza's website doesn't give the biographical details of anyone involved in the publishing process but the founder is named elsewhere as Rochelle Levy. Here are a few excerpts from an interview with Rochelle: http://www.ontherisemagazine.com/2011/03/03/meet-rochelle-levy-founder-and-ceo-of-aziza-publishing
The only published book by Rochelle I could find was a collection of poetry entitled Poetic Intimacy, released through CreateSpace in 2010. I also found references to "her second full length fiction novel titled “Dark Rising”, which apparently hasn't been published yet.
Poetry? Gigantic red flag! Hodge-podge of other genres? Another red flag. Cookie-cutter novels? I've heard that one before. Aziza is beginning to sound more like a pay-to-play or at least a clueless start-up than a commercial press.
How many times have we heard the "one big happy family/going the extra mile" line? And I find the prospect of a publisher wanting to make sure "things are going right in all aspects of your life" creepy rather than reassuring.
I'm all in favour of taking everything with a grain of salt, which is why I wouldn't risk putting my work in the hands of someone whose previous experience in publishing seems to consist of CreateSpace.
Now, back to Aziza Publishing LLC's own website. Two things struck me immediately:
1) You can't buy books directly from the publisher; and
2) Publishing is just one of the services offered by Aziza. Take your pick from:
Writing Coaching - prices begin at $350 for 12 sessions;
Blog and Site Management - Partial Blog Management $500, Complete Blog Management $875;
Creative Arts Workshops - $350 for a two-hour workshop with a maximum number of 30 participants;
Editing: prices range from $125 to $525 depending on the length of your ms.
Bearing in mind the fact that there is no money in poetry, do these services subsidize the publication of Aziza's books? Nowhere on the site does it specify that they are a vanity/subsidy/self-publisher. Yet take a look at these words from Rochelle Levy (the bolding throughout is mine):
(I had no idea that most major publishing houses rarely have opening for manuscript submissions. It makes you wonder where on earth all these new books come from!) I get the distinct impression that authors turned down for publication might be in with a chance if they pay for Aziza's coaching and editing.
Here's an unintentionally revealing statement by one of Aziza's authors. Count the misconceptions and beginner's mistakes (again, the bolding is mine):
A self-publisher with no upfront fees? They must be making their money further down the line.
For the benefit of novice writers:
DON'T use search engines to find publishers - the internet is crawling with vanity presses and amateurs playing at being publishers. Go to your local bookstore, find books similar to yours and make a note of who published them.
DON'T give in to despair if you haven't found an agent or publisher within ten months. Ten months is nothing.
DON'T be fooled into thinking that new writers don't stand a chance of being published, or that writers have to pay to be published.
Real publishers are inundated with submissions - they don't need to go touting for business on Facebook.
Finally, ask yourself why so many small presses are founded by people who couldn't get their own work commercially published.
HannahBanana is Hannah D Spivey, author of Ebony the Beloved. A 'Sneak Peak (sic)' of Ebony can be read here: http://azizapublishing.com/Ebony/Ebony%20The%20Beloved%20Sneak%20Peak.pdf. The book was actually published in July 2011 and has problems with editing and formatting; by no means has it been 'perfected'. The same could be said of at least two other Aziza books.
If Hannah got what she wanted from Aziza I'm delighted for her, but what she's describing here is an object lesson in how NOT to find a reputable publisher. And a company responsible for either dreaming up that surreal author/publisher/reviewer contract, or misleading one of their authors into thinking that such a contract is standard practice, cannot be reputable.
http://insanehussein.com/blog/2012/01/27/o-rly-a-contract-for-book-reviews/
Was this contract produced by Aziza or by the author herself? We don't know yet, but either way it it reeks of amateurism.
Aziza's website doesn't give the biographical details of anyone involved in the publishing process but the founder is named elsewhere as Rochelle Levy. Here are a few excerpts from an interview with Rochelle: http://www.ontherisemagazine.com/2011/03/03/meet-rochelle-levy-founder-and-ceo-of-aziza-publishing
The only published book by Rochelle I could find was a collection of poetry entitled Poetic Intimacy, released through CreateSpace in 2010. I also found references to "her second full length fiction novel titled “Dark Rising”, which apparently hasn't been published yet.
Poetry? Gigantic red flag! Hodge-podge of other genres? Another red flag. Cookie-cutter novels? I've heard that one before. Aziza is beginning to sound more like a pay-to-play or at least a clueless start-up than a commercial press.
How many times have we heard the "one big happy family/going the extra mile" line? And I find the prospect of a publisher wanting to make sure "things are going right in all aspects of your life" creepy rather than reassuring.
I'm all in favour of taking everything with a grain of salt, which is why I wouldn't risk putting my work in the hands of someone whose previous experience in publishing seems to consist of CreateSpace.
Now, back to Aziza Publishing LLC's own website. Two things struck me immediately:
1) You can't buy books directly from the publisher; and
2) Publishing is just one of the services offered by Aziza. Take your pick from:
Writing Coaching - prices begin at $350 for 12 sessions;
Blog and Site Management - Partial Blog Management $500, Complete Blog Management $875;
Creative Arts Workshops - $350 for a two-hour workshop with a maximum number of 30 participants;
Editing: prices range from $125 to $525 depending on the length of your ms.
Bearing in mind the fact that there is no money in poetry, do these services subsidize the publication of Aziza's books? Nowhere on the site does it specify that they are a vanity/subsidy/self-publisher. Yet take a look at these words from Rochelle Levy (the bolding throughout is mine):
(I had no idea that most major publishing houses rarely have opening for manuscript submissions. It makes you wonder where on earth all these new books come from!) I get the distinct impression that authors turned down for publication might be in with a chance if they pay for Aziza's coaching and editing.
Here's an unintentionally revealing statement by one of Aziza's authors. Count the misconceptions and beginner's mistakes (again, the bolding is mine):
A self-publisher with no upfront fees? They must be making their money further down the line.
For the benefit of novice writers:
DON'T use search engines to find publishers - the internet is crawling with vanity presses and amateurs playing at being publishers. Go to your local bookstore, find books similar to yours and make a note of who published them.
DON'T give in to despair if you haven't found an agent or publisher within ten months. Ten months is nothing.
DON'T be fooled into thinking that new writers don't stand a chance of being published, or that writers have to pay to be published.
Real publishers are inundated with submissions - they don't need to go touting for business on Facebook.
Finally, ask yourself why so many small presses are founded by people who couldn't get their own work commercially published.
HannahBanana is Hannah D Spivey, author of Ebony the Beloved. A 'Sneak Peak (sic)' of Ebony can be read here: http://azizapublishing.com/Ebony/Ebony%20The%20Beloved%20Sneak%20Peak.pdf. The book was actually published in July 2011 and has problems with editing and formatting; by no means has it been 'perfected'. The same could be said of at least two other Aziza books.
If Hannah got what she wanted from Aziza I'm delighted for her, but what she's describing here is an object lesson in how NOT to find a reputable publisher. And a company responsible for either dreaming up that surreal author/publisher/reviewer contract, or misleading one of their authors into thinking that such a contract is standard practice, cannot be reputable.
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