I feel a flog coming on ...
Old Line Publishing Website:
The traditional publishing method is a great no-cost option for authors.
Not only is it no cost, traditional (by which I mean, commercial) publishing pays the author in advance. Unfortunately, Old Line's 'Traditional' publishing option, does not do that either.
Old Line Publishing Website:
the manuscript must be approved by our Manuscript Review Board (MRB). This multimember panel reviews all manuscripts and evaluates them for character and plot development, writing style, libelous, scandalous or explicit material, marketability, and salability. If the manuscript is approved by the MRB, then it needs to be evaluated by our editing staff. The less editing required, the greater the chance of it being published in a traditional manner.
There's no word on who is on this "multimember panel" and frankly, I don't know why any publisher would even need one. A good commissioning editor should be able to review a book, decide whether it's saleable, how much work needs doing to it to make it saleable and whether it's something they should be publishing.
I suspect that it's at the "editorial stage" that you fell down,
genejock72, and the fact that Old Line Publishing is not up front about charging editing fees, is not the sign of a publisher an author should want to publish with because it's shady practice.
However, given that there's nothing on the site to indicate the qualifications of the company's editors, I wouldn't worry too much about not meeting their checkbook, sorry, exacting standards.
Old Line Publishing Website:
If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, Old Line Publishing will retain certain “exclusive rights” to your book. The reason for this is that as a traditional publishing company we are paying for the entire cost of getting your book published. This includes, editing, layout and formatting, distribution and marketing. These costs can range anywhere from several hundred dollars to several thousands of dollars depending on the complexity of your book. Once the book is published, the rights that are retained by the company is the only assurance that we can recoup the monies that have been invested to produce your book. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then you as the author, keep all the rights to your book.
This makes no sense. Any publisher takes exclusive rights to publish your book - regardless of whether you're self-publishing or commercially publishing. The reason is because they don't want to be selling something that Joe Bloggs down the road has the exact same rights to.
Whichever way you go with this company, you lose your first publishing rights and those are the ones that matter.
Old Line Publishing Website:
Do you provide author advances for accepted manuscripts?
No.
This is where an author should consider walking away. A publisher that's not prepared to take a financial punt by paying an author up front for a manuscript, is a company that's not truly invested in the IMHO.
Old Line Publishing Website:
Can I include photographs in my book?
Yes. You can include photographs, line art, or other photo-quality images in your book. Unlike some other publishing companies we allow unlimited insertions of images in our publications.
They should be pointing out that you will need to own or have a copyright licence for those photos and that inclusion of a lot of pictures can push the cover price up because it's more expensive to print.
Old Line Publishing Website:
How long does it take before my book is available for sale?
Once the cover design and layouts are approved and we send your book to the printer, it takes about 2 weeks before your book is ready to be ordered. The entire process, from receipt of your submissions package until the book is available for sale, takes an average of 8 to 12 weeks.
That's a short turn around time and I would guess it means there's little to no advance publicity (which is needed to generate sales and awareness).
Old Line Publishing Website:
What kinds of books do you publish?
We publish a wide variety of books, including cookbooks, children’s books, fiction, non-fiction, reference books, history books and collecting books. We reserve the right to reject any submission. We will not publish, for example, pornography, libelous or slanderous material, or any material deemed illegal by municipal, state or federal law.
So they pretty much publish anything and everything. That's not a good sign. Start up publishers serious about getting books out there to readers usually start in one or two genres and build up their reputation before branching out.
Old Line Publishing Website: (BOLDING MINE)
How do I get paid?
We send you biannual sales reports showing the total number of books sold (if any) in the previous six months, the total wholesale value, the gross profit for books sold, and the total royalties owed. We will also send you a check in the amount of the royalties owed. Royalties earned by the author, which are less than $10.00 are not paid. Instead they are held for the next accounting period and a check will be issued if the combined amount exceeds $10.00. Each report and royalty check is sent within 30 days of the end of each six month period. Royalties are paid on the sale price of the book regardless of the cover price.
The suggestion that some authors won't sell any books in 6 months is not encouraging and I'd want to know exactly how many authors earn more than $10.00 each six months.
Old Line Publishing Website:
Do I earn a royalty on every single book that is sold?
Yes, with one exception. Because we provide such a substantial discount on author copies, we do not pay royalties on author copies of your book.
Given that so much of the website is aimed at authors rather than the book buying public, it is perfectly possible that in practice, most books are purchased by authors with a view to selling on - which means that they only profit they will be making is the uplift they add to the price.
This is not what authors should be doing, nor is it how they should expect to make money from their work.
Old Line Publishing Website:
What are your royalty rates?
If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then Old Line Publishing will pay 15% of the sale price back to you in the form of a royalty. This is better than many other traditional publishing houses. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then Old Line Publishing will pay 35% of the sale price back to you in the form of a royalty. Again, this is one of the highest in the self-publishing world.
That's great, if the majority of your sales are coming from the book buying public, but the problem is that you don't get those royalties on author bought copies and if buying and selling on copies is the only way an author can get their work out there, they won't make any royalties from it.
Old Line Publishing Website:
Do you edit my manuscript before publishing it?
If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then Old Line Publishing will perform basic editing of your work. In some cases we'll provide the editing notes to you, which you can incorporate or discard at your option. Our editors will focus on typographical errors, improper syntax, and the like. We do not alter the "style" or composition of your manuscript in any substantial form. In no case will we rewrite or substantially alter your manuscript, and you always have final approval over any recommended changes. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then you have the option of choosing one of three editing packages to polish your manuscript.
If you're 'traditionally published' then you should be getting something more from your publisher than mere copy editing.
Real editors, edit. That means that they look at your overall work and comment on the structure, they make suggestions for ditching or improving plot lines, they'll suggest rewriting dialogue and they will work closely with the author for a period of months until the polished product is one that is in the best condition they can get it.
Authors benefit from that.
Old Line Publishing Website: (BOLDING MINE)
How will you sell and market my book?
If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then once your book is finalized by the printer we will begin letting the world know that your book is available. We will always promote and sell your book through our own website, as well as other internet bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.com, Amazon.com, AbeBooks.com and Alibris.com. In some cases, we contract with a marketing firm to do specialized and focused niche marketing. Your book is entered into a master database which is used by all the bookstores in the US (Books in Print). Additional promotional material may be purchased by you to advertise your book such as pamphlets, brochures and/or flyers. If your manuscript is published in a self-publishing manner, then you can choose how your book is marketed by purchasing the appropriate publishing package.
This is all bare minimum stuff and promotional material should be prepared as a matter of course at no cost to the author.
Frankly, if this is all they do then IMO there is little chance of an author making any significant sales beyond what they sell on themselves.
Old Line Publishing Website: (BOLDING MINE)
Is there a minimum number of books I must purchase?
No. You are under no obligation to purchase any books. However, you will often find it handy to have books readily available for you to distribute as you see fit. You will be one of the greatest promoters of your book.
No kidding because Old Line will be doing jack shit to help you out.
Old Line Publishing Website:
Where will readers find my book?
If your manuscript is chosen to be published in a traditional manner, then your book will receive access to the widest book distribution network in the world. Your book, upon completion, will be available by order through most traditional "brick and mortar" bookstores and will be listed with online booksellers such as amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, as well as being put in our own e-commerce catalog. It will also be listed with Books In Print.
Being available to order is absolutely no substitute for being placed in stores. Old Line Publishing does not seem to do that. Without a proper promotions campaign behind you, it's difficult to see how any author made "available to order" will distinguish themselves from the thousands of other such authors to find a reading public.
The marketing services here:
http://www.oldlinepublishingllc.com/index_files/OldLinePublishingAuthorMarketingServices.html are expensive and all things that commercial publishers should be doing for free as a matter of course.
The covers for the latest new releases here:
http://www.oldlinepublishingllc.com/index_files/OldLinePublishingNewReleases.html
look like clip art and certainly not something that an author should be paying for.
All in all, your book can do better than going with an outfit like this.
MM
