Kerodina Press (formerly Capitol Publishing) / Kerodina Media, LLC

[dpatrick]

Anyone heard of this? They are advertizing that they are bringing out 4 books in the Spring, but I can't find anything at all on the four authors. The company accepts ms with a 150 day turnaround. They will, however, expedite reading a ms for $60. They also have a writing contest with $25 entry fee.

 

[veinglory]

There seems to be more than one company by this name. Do you have a website? Given the "expiditing" fee I would not be optimistic.

 

[JerseyGirl1962]

The company accepts ms with a 150 day turnaround. They will, however, expedite reading a ms for $60.

Gee, isn't that nice of them. [/end of sarcasm]

As the other poster said, can you give us a website so we can check them out? Although, if they charge you a reading fee, I'd cross them off my list - why should I pay someone when legit publishers/agents will read your ms. for free? (Okay, so the turnaround usually isn't that fast, but why should I send them my hard-earned dough just for them to read faster?)

Sorry if I sound a bit grumpy - it's not directed at you, dpatrick.

My advice is to just look elsewhere.

Good luck.

~Nancy

 

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

Yeah the minute anyone mentions that they'll do x for any amount of money, turn and leave. No legit agent, agency or publisher charges any sort of fees. Asking for one's a dealbreaker.

 

[dpatrick]

There seems to be more than one company by this name. Do you have a website? Given the "expiditing" fee I would not be optimistic.

http://www.capitol-publishing.com/

 

[James D. Macdonald]

Capitol Publishing is a traditional publishing house - we pay signed authors an Advance as well as Royalties based on Cover Price.

Other red flags: Their page is targeted at authors rather than readers. Of the four books listed on their web page for Spring '09, none are listed at Amazon.

How did you come to hear of these folks?

 

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

I bet you could make a great drinking game with the traditional publisher thing.

 

[CaoPaux]

Tracking Kerodina Media finds us http://www.capitolmodels.com/ & http://www.mcleannewspaper.com/. It all reads like a "make $$$ on the internet" scheme, IMNSHO.

 

[veinglory]

The tone is very professional too: "Yes - we DO offer authors the
opportunity to have their manuscripts moved to the front of the line for a fee. (Fee is
refunded if we sign you to a contract) If you think that makes us any less of a Publisher - do not bother us with your submission." (Note dubious punctuation.)

 

[dpatrick]

Other red flags: Their page is targeted at authors rather than readers. Of the four books listed on their web page for Spring '09, none are listed at Amazon.

How did you come to hear of these folks?

James,

They were advertising in Craigslist. I know, that should have been a warning, but I came upon it accidentally.

 

[Donna Pudick]

Don't confuse them with Capital Books, which publishes how-to books on decorating, etc. My next door neighbor published at least two of her books with them. They are legit, but say right up front that they expect their authors to do heavy promotion on their own.

Her books came out in soft cover, and spiral bound so that reader can put them down while working from the pages. Not fancy, but not bad.

 

[dpatrick]

I don't have them confused, Donna. The Capital you talk about is legit. Most publishers I've dealt with expect authors to heavily promote. Also, agencies, the ones I've talked with as well as my agent, expect you to present them with manuscript that has been professionally edited.

 

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

I don't have them confused, Donna. The Capital you talk about is legit. Most publishers I've dealt with expect authors to heavily promote. Also, agencies, the ones I've talked with as well as my agent, expect you to present them with manuscript that has been professionally edited.

Can you name who these agencies are that expect professionally edited mss? If you want to share in a pm that's fine, I won't reveal names. I just find it odd that they would expect that when your ms is just going to go through more edits with a publisher anyway. Seems redundant.

 

[victoriastrauss]

Also, agencies, the ones I've talked with as well as my agent, expect you to present them with manuscript that has been professionally edited.

That's truly not something that one would expect a successful agent to require. Agents do want the ms. to be as perfect as possible, but they really don't care how you get it that way. If you can do it on your own, that's fine--better, in fact, because it means you can do it with subsequent manuscripts as well.

Agents (and publishers) are familiar with the shortcomings of editing (editing can make a decent book better, but not necessarily salable, and no editing in the world can make a bad book good), and also with the vast number of unqualified editors peddling their services. Indicating that your ms. has been "professionally edited" not only won't give you an advantage, it may make people suspect you've been ripped off.

- Victoria

 

[Donna Pudick]

My philosophy, as I've stated before, is that if a manuscript isn't ready for a publisher, it's not ready for an agent. Does it have to be perfect? Certainly not, but it does have to read well and be very literate. Publishers either hire qualified freelancers (especially on specific subjects) or have in-house copy editors who are on salary. It's always free.

 

[dpatrick]

Editing issues

Can you name who these agencies are that expect professionally edited ms? If you want to share in a pm that's fine, I won't reveal names. I just find it odd that they would expect that when your ms is just going to go through more edits with a publisher anyway. Seems redundant.

Name the agencies? Every one I've encountered. I've been rejected by at least 75 and accepted by four. Many rejections as well as the agencies I talked to personally, wanted the editing, including the line editing, finished. I eventually hired an editor who made me a deal of 2 cents a word. (The standard is 3.) My ms is 58,000 words, so it cost me $1,160.00.

The whole idea is to have it in excellent shape, so they can take it to the publisher pretty much "as is". In the old days, an agent would get the idea of the manuscript and sell it to a publisher who would edit the heck out of it. Not the case now. For most people, if you want to get published it's going to cost more than the paper.

Hopes this helps. Meanwhile, here's a book I published myself:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/143823144X/?tag=absolutewritedm-20

 

[dpatrick]

Maybe "professional" is too strong a word.

That's truly not something that one would expect a successful agent to require. Agents do want the ms. to be as perfect as possible, but they really don't care how you get it that way. If you can do it on your own, that's fine--better, in fact, because it means you can do it with subsequent manuscripts as well.

Agents (and publishers) are familiar with the shortcomings of editing (editing can make a decent book better, but not necessarily salable, and no editing in the world can make a bad book good), and also with the vast number of unqualified editors peddling their services. Indicating that your ms. has been "professionally edited" not only won't give you an advantage, it may make people suspect you've been ripped off.

- Victoria

Regardless of how you get your manuscript in shape, your chances of obtaining representation are far greater if it's in as perfect shape as possible. Now, some people do this with beta readers, friends, fellow writers, professionals. My point is the writer is the last person to do a really good editing job and a really good editing job is necessary to get the ms presentable before you submit the first 30 pages or first 3 and last chapters, whatever. You don't have to tell them you whether you hired a professional or your friend did it. I'm sure there are brilliant, exceptional people out there who edited their own ms, but people like Hemingway, Fitzgerald, major authors relied on editors at publishing houses or agencies (this was the old system).

 

[veinglory]

Excellent shape, yes. But the idea they all specifically want you to have paid someone to edit it strikes me as implausible at best. An author that can do that for themselves is an overall far more desirable client, I should think. And I would expect most authors could do this. Grammar, spelling and syntax is not that difficult--just time consuming.

I think what you call the old system is just the system as many people contributing to this thread can attest. I am published only via small press but do not pay to edit or publish (or promote) and have been making four figures per year off my weekend hobby in clear profit for many years now and expect to make 5 figures this year.

 

[justinai]

Ummm...everything that I have read, including the posts by other people in this forum, indicate that one of the key tasks of an agent is to help you edit your book, both before and after sale to a publisher. If an agent isn't going to help you edit your work why are you giving them 15%?

And I haven't read a single publisher, or e publisher, that requires your work to be professionally edited. That's one of the things they do after you sign a contract with them.

 

[dpatrick]

Nothing's free

My philosophy, as I've stated before, is that if a manuscript isn't ready for a publisher, it's not ready for an agent. Does it have to be perfect? Certainly not, but it does have to read well and be very literate. Publishers either hire qualified freelancers (especially on specific subjects) or have in-house copy editors who are on salary. It's always free.

Yes, the publisher's work is free because they are banking on the sales and the approximately 80% they take, but agencies won't anything so my advice it to get it in the best shape possible and the writer is the last person to do a fine editing job. We can't see the grammar mistakes, syntax, nor the fat.

 

[veinglory]

I cede the floor to our many members who have secured first-class agents. But expect to be contradicted.

 

[CaoPaux]

Yes, the publisher's work is free because they are banking on the sales and the approximately 80% they take, but agencies won't anything so my advice it to get it in the best shape possible and the writer is the last person to do a fine editing job. We can't see the grammar mistakes, syntax, nor the fat.

Yes, but the crux of the issue is: were all the agents you encountered suggesting that you needed to improve your writing, or were they telling you outright to pay for an editor? If the latter, please name them, because that's not the practice of "legit" agents.

 

[dpatrick]

Succinct

I cede the floor to our many members who have secured first-class agents. But expect to be contradicted.

What I'm say in a nutshell is that you better have your ms in excellent shape if you're approaching an agency like Penguin. That's all. We all have different expectations and we're writing different books.

Peace

 

[dpatrick]

Yes, but the crux of the issue is: were all the agents you encountered suggesting that you needed to improve your writing, or were they telling you outright to pay for an editor? If the latter, please name them, because that's not the practice of "legit" agents.

No one told me outright to pay for an editor.

 

[M.R.J. Le Blanc]

No legit publisher is going to publish your book exactly as you submit it to them. They have inhouse editors; they don't pay them for nothing. Your book is going to go through more edits, which you will then have to look over and sign on. Should our mss be as presentable as possible? Naturally. But the only agents who I've seen say it must be professionally edited are either scammers, or amateurs. It's an expense we as authors don't have to incur unless we're self-publishing.

We can't see the grammar mistakes, syntax, nor the fat.

Perhaps not, but that's where beta readers come in handy.