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Entrada Publishing

Lord_Champion

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I saw that Entrada Publishing was looking for submissions on a Goodreads Beta Reading Group.

So I checked them out. They seem to mostly be a review and editing company that provides services for self-published authors. However, in one of their tabs, they state that they'll traditionally publish outstanding submissions to them:

http://entradapublishing.com/editing/publishing.html

They claim they are NOT a vanity press and from what I can tell, that's true. I checked out their facebook page. That's where you can find their published authors being promoted. The books look pretty good. Here's an example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DWC4H7E/?tag=absowrit-20

There's only one that stumps me, and that is that on their actual website, they don't list their published authors like every other publisher.

So what do you guys think? Are they a good place to submit to? Sure they're a small company that's up and starting, but do they seem legit to you?
 

mrsmig

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Giant red flag when a publishing services provider also offers to publish your book. If nothing else, it's a conflict of interest. And then there's this (bolding and error-pointing-up is mine):


Do you have to be our customer to have your book published by us? No - but it certainly helps. We receive a large amount of manuscripts to review and the only guaranteed way of getting yours read is through editing, proofreading, beta reviews or a book review. However, author's with a special topic, background, purpose, expertise, etc. may be the exception. You can send your query letter and/or chapter samples to us at: [email protected] and let us know why you would be a good fit for us.

This sounds like a classic bait-and-switch to me. You send your MS, hoping for a publishing offer, and they'll respond with a "needs work, but we can help you make it better" along with a menu of services that you pay for. This isn't "traditional" publishing.

Their website is a mess - lots of broken links.

P.S. I looked at the book you linked to. While I didn't see any egregious errors, there's a lot of filtering, info-dumping and clumsy constructions that a good editor would have caught and worked with the author to correct.

ETA: Peculiar that they have Paula Hawkins' The Girl on the Train featured prominently on their home page, as if they somehow have a hand in that book's success. I seriously doubt Random House/Penguin needed to purchase a review package from Entrada to promote their bestseller. Again, this looks like sleight-of-hand foolishness to me.
 
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Also, who's behind this operation? I can't find any bio information at all. I looked up Entrada on LinkedIn to try to solve the mystery--at least they list some books there. However, on LinkedIn, the page for "Entrada Publishing" is a personal page rather than business page, which is a pet peeve of mine. At best, it shows they don't know how to use LinkedIn correctly (grumble...) Or, at worst, it suggests they're hiding something, since no individual employees are listed.
 

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Well, at the least, from here we learn the "lead acquisitions editor and marketing manager" is Rachel Smith.
 

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This is an old thread, but if anyone is still listening...

I saw that Entrada Publishing was looking for submissions on a Goodreads Beta Reading Group.

So I checked them out. They seem to mostly be a review and editing company that provides services for self-published authors. However, in one of their tabs, they state that they'll traditionally publish outstanding submissions to them:

http://entradapublishing.com/editing/publishing.html

They claim they are NOT a vanity press and from what I can tell, that's true. I checked out their facebook page. That's where you can find their published authors being promoted. The books look pretty good. Here's an example:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DWC4H7E/?tag=absowrit-20

There's only one that stumps me, and that is that on their actual website, they don't list their published authors like every other publisher.

So what do you guys think? Are they a good place to submit to? Sure they're a small company that's up and starting, but do they seem legit to you?


So this is a very old thread but I was a bit surprised and happy when I found it over the weekend.

So to answer a few questions I thought I'd write out responses to most of the questions/answers/research from the thread.

First - who we are: Entrada Publishing is the fairly new fiction arm of a large educational publisher. We publish fiction books in a variety of genres but stay away from erotica or romance (unless it's clean). We are ALWAYS looking for new authors who have a great story to tell. We are very active on several Goodreads groups so many know us from there.

The website has been and is currently being revised. Unfortunately, web designers aren't editors and vice versa. It looks like the right hand didn't know that the left hand was doing so many mistakes have been and will be changed in the next few days.

Being a new publisher, we've been busy adding new books to the catalog but based on your feedback we've now included a list of all our published titles which we will continue to add to as new titles are released. We have three in development now from existing authors which will be released in early 2017. We are NOT a vanity press and while we are willing to help authors get editing, covers, etc., we won't put our name on something that isn't top quality.

Our editors review for independent and small presses as well as for NetGalley. We do receive a large amount of requests for editorial reviews which have been used for books such as Sunborn Rising alongside Kirkus and US Review.

Remember every expression you've ever heard about teaching old dogs new tricks? Well, as you can guess, educational publishing is a dinosaur....and we don't know how to effectively use ALL social media as effectively as millennials (Linked In reference). However, we'll keep plugging along and improving. Unless you know someone in need of an internship at a publishing company? Then we'll get up to speed much faster.

I'm very approachable and always willing to talk and give feedback about a new manuscript or idea.

Please email me at [email protected] or PM me through the site.

Thank you for helping us grow! I only wish I'd found this post sooner!

Rachel
 

surrly

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Just wondering how comprehensive their feedback is and if it's worth the $50
 

Maryn

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I have no experience with them, but a $50 fee for beta reading sets off red flags snapping in the breeze.

Why? Multiple reasons. First, you're at a large writing site where it's common for people with 50 posts to seek and get beta readers for free, not necessarily in an even exchange. So it seems weird to ask whether it seems okay to pay a particular site for beta reading when you're at a place where it's free.

Second, the price seems wonky. It takes many hours to beta read a book. Why is the price so low per hour? Is it because the person isn't really qualified, skims rather than reads, or reads only here and there, enough to seem convincing? Have you vetted them in any way beyond this request? Do they share the names and contact information for previous customers? Are their previous customers' books published? Self or trade? What do you see in terms of goofs when you use the Look Inside feature?

Later: Oh boy, I've now viewed their website at https://www.entradapublishing.com/editing/beta_readers.html

Entrada Publishing is seeking to make money from authors. Legitimate publishers make their money from book sales, and they provide free developmental and copy edits plus a final proofreading.

I wouldn't go anywhere near them.
 

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Adding link, to save everyone else the trouble: Entrada Publishing.

One beta reader is $85.

We also offer beta reading in a group of three for $150.

They also offer reviews, $289 - $389, and compare themselves (who I'd never heard of) to Kirkus (who everyone has heard of).

There's no evidence that their beta readers or reviewers are of any particular experience or skill level.
 

AW Admin

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I think paying for a beta reader is a very bad, terrible, no good rotten idea.

You beta for your peers, and they'll beta for you.
 
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This is not a Basic Writing Question; I'm moving it to Bewares and Recommendations.
 
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surrly

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I think paying for a beta reader is a very bad, terrible, no good rotten idea.

You beta for your peers, and they'll beta for you.
Thank you all for your replies. I get what you're saying and appreciate your feedback. Of course, all the things you say make great sense and it's good to hear it.

One issues I have is I don't have a ton of time to beta someone else's work and critique it. And I've swapped novels before but it takes me a long time to read through and crit (usually cause I try to be very thorough.) Plus, finding someone/people who take the time to read thoroughly is a crapshoot. I've had less than good luck in the past.

So the time I'd put into beta workshopping someone else's work is the equivalent of working hours as opposed to, say, working three hours and a half hours at my day job and paying for someone (and then having the extra time to work on writing/writing related tasks.)

I'll keep looking though.

Thank you again! Sometimes I forget how cool community is!
 
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mrsmig

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There's already a BR&BC thread for the company here: Entrada Publishing

It's already been pretty thoroughly booed there, but a staffer who went by the AW moniker RachelEnt showed up to defend it back in 2016. I figured it was worth doing an update on available info online:

I found a listing for the company on LinkedIn, but none for staff. The photo that accompanies the company's LinkedIn listing I found elseweb, attached to mattress reviews by one Stephanie Larson. The company is listed as an LLC with the Utah State Corporation Commission (first registered in 2015). The registered agent is one Sheryl Hornberger. The same address is used for Brynik Industries and Brynik Racing & Performance (registered agent Craig Hornberger), as well as an LLC named Breely Crush Publishing, with an emphasis on publications designed to help people pass CLEP and DANTES exams. That company's registered agent is the aforementioned Stephanie Larson. In the older AW thread, RachelEnt explained that Entrada was an offshoot of Breely Crush.

On Entrada's Facebook page, the lead post is about Entrada's Incipere Awards, which boasts an entry fee of "only" $65. From the Incipere link:

All Category Winners Will Receive
#An editorial review ($289 value)
#Valuable social media mentions on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
#Free submission to 30+ lists to bolster KindleSelect Free Days
#Bragging rights from an elite contest, where not everyone is a winner
#Certificate with their award level
#Unique, high-quality image of award to use on covers
Award Levels: Each category will result in a first, second, third and honorable mention award. There will be four awards per category. The contest is designed to find the very best, not simply books that are good or even excellent. Each book will be scored with a unique internal rubric based on each individual book category. These scores/results will not be shared but are for internal use only.

Bragging rights...wow. Lemme get out my wallet.

None of this new info makes me any more confident about Entrada than I was when I commented on the thread in 2016.

(Apropos of nothing, I have a feeling Rachel from 2016 is no longer with the company, which is probably indicative.)

ETA: Further research shows that the corporate address for Entrada, Breely Crush, and both Brynik concerns also houses one of those "virtual office" companies, which provide small businesses with a professional business address for a small monthly fee. Since all four companies share the same suite number as their address, I expect none has an actual office space.
 
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Maryn

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Can I add a small aside? While beta read exchanges are popular and common, they're not required. I rarely beta read an entire novel, but I've been fortunate enough to have betas who'll read mine. (I more often do line-by-line critique on short stories.)

So once you have fifty posts, you can ask for a beta read without having to give one back. Nobody will think you're horrible, so long as you make time to give back something, rather than always and only taking. We have SYW boards in every genre, in which people seek critique for shorter works or the start of longer ones.

Maryn, whose current beta is really great
 
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mccardey

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One issues I have is I don't have a ton of time to beta someone else's work and critique it.
Thats a pity, because you can learn an awful lot by beta-reading.
So the time I'd put into beta workshopping someone else's work is the equivalent of working hours as opposed to, say, working three hours and a half hours at my day job and paying for someone (and then having the extra time to work on writing/writing related tasks.)
You could pay half that amount or nothing at all and get someone else to beta-read for you. My point being, unless you know and trust your beta you're basically getting nothing of value, payment or not.
I'll keep looking though.

Thank you again! Sometimes I forget how cool community is!
It is v. cool
 
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Their reviews are terrible.

In this fantasy adventure where magic and mythical creatures are commonplace, the main characters, wearing their tunics, leggings, swords, and coin purses, use weapons, cunning and the occasional waystone, to escape dungeons, conquer creatures and reach their goals.

Another one

Beyond creepy.

While reading the urge to reach out to other new mother's [sic] was on my mind, balanced against the urge to not share it with them as it would keep them awake at night.

And so is the Our Work page.

Let’s put here some text, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore!

ETA: Added second review
 
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One issues I have is I don't have a ton of time to beta someone else's work and critique it. And I've swapped novels before but it takes me a long time to read through and crit (usually cause I try to be very thorough.) Plus, finding someone/people who take the time to read thoroughly is a crapshoot. I've had less than good luck in the past.
As others have noted, if you pay Entrada you have no idea who the beta reader(s) will be, so it's a similar crapshoot.

If you have no time and plenty of dosh, spend it on a known entity. Hop over to the self publishing section and ask for recommendations for editors in your genre. There's bound to be plenty of folks who can say, hand on heart, their editor is worth every penny. Alternatively, hang out here in Share Your Work and make note of which critiquers really 'do it' for you -- the folks who provide feedback of the type and quantity you'd love to get. You could offer to hire them as a beta reader.

It's true for all writers that the time they take to beta someone else's work is time they aren't spend writing their own stories (or washing the dishes, or weeding the garden, or whatever). But, as Maryn said, it's often as much of a learning experience as writing your own stories. I beta read to be a good community member, but I also find that it makes me a better writer.

ETA: I'd be pretty pissed off if I paid $300 for a review and got
While the story suffers from the lack of an editor, various ambiguities throughout the plot, and some inconsistencies in the characters, it does provide a thrilling look at the human organ trade. Because Gino Cox does an excellent job in presenting the human side of each character, it is impossible not to find yourself rooting for each character in the story, regardless of whether they are good or bad. There is some violence and suggestive romantic content, which makes it suitable only for adult reading.

The main theme focuses on exposing both sides of the human organ trade. Balancing the needs of those dying with the health and rights of donors proves to be a difficult, if not impossible, task. The Black Pill definitely presents a gripping tale that plunges headlong into the murky depths of organ smuggling, but it would benefit from an editor and better organization.
 
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surrly

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I love all the comments on this. Thanks. I def wouldn't pay them for reviews ($300!, F that). And am looking to balance the budget of spending with the budget of spending time (beta reading). Which is why $50 was feasible.
You are right, there is a learning oppo in beta reading. And I have been in workshops, crit circles, and beta read many a short story and novel over the years. So I have had some experience with going this route. Unfortunately, long-term crit relationships never panned out in any of those situations for me to be able to use them now.

I'll keep looking. Thanks, Maryn and Unimportant for the suggestion and encouragement. Thanks to all for your time and input!
 
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I love all the comments on this. Thanks. I def wouldn't pay them for reviews ($300!, F that). And am looking to balance the budget of spending with the budget of spending time (beta reading). Which is why $50 was feasible.
You are right, there is a learning oppo in beta reading. And I have been in workshops, crit circles, and beta read many a short story and novel over the years. So I have had some experience with going this route. Unfortunately, long-term crit relationships never panned out in any of those situations for me to be able to use them now.

I'll keep looking. Thanks, Maryn and Unimportant for the suggestion and encouragement. Thanks to all for your time and input!
I'd suggest starting with a small section of prose to attract a larger pool of readers, and then gradually increase word count/decrease critiquers.

In the "post your first three sentences" threads, folks tend to get somewhere between five and fifteen responders. From there, you learn whether your initial lines 'hook' as well as whether your prose is sufficiently readable, and you also identify which critiquers provide helpful feedback. And of course you critique half a dozen other people's first three sentences, both for the learning experience and the pay-back.

In the "hook me in 200 words", you probably won't get more than eight or ten responses, but many of them will be repeat folks from the three sentences section. Again, who is providing you with feedback you find useful? And who of these are also liking your story? And of the 200 word openings you crit in return, which are pieces you'd like to read in their entirety?

Finally (and by this time you're up to 50 posts), put your first chapter up in Share Your Work. At this point you'll have found a handful of people who are following you there, wanting to read the chapter; and hopefully they are also writing chapters you want to read and critique. Once you've absorbed all the feedback from the various steps, revised and polished as much as you can, then toss up a call for beta readers -- and in particular flag it to your 'special' friends from Share Your Work. It'd be unusual if you didn't hook up with a couple of people who you 'click' with.