Patchwork Press

[heykatydid]

First post, apologies if this ends up in the wrong place. I ran a search for this publisher in the forum and checked the masterlist, but it does not appear that anyone has previously offered any information about this company yet. I was wondering if anyone had had dealings with them, and could comment on how things went.

Here is the link to the website: http://www.patchwork-press.com/

PWP's website says they are not a traditional publisher, but rather a team of self-published authors. The website assures interested parties that they keep 100% of their royalties, and are joining merely for the marketing aspect and the support team. I emailed them asking for some specifics, but they have not yet gotten back to me. They are one of the presses that offers the NetGalley co-op, where authors can join for 1 month to 1 year for a small portion of the NetGalley sign-up cost, and while I have heard good things about this option from some other authors online, I can find nothing about the publisher itself and how useful the team aspect might be for self-published authors.

[Link for the NetGalley co-op is here: http://www.patchwork-press.com/class-of-2013-2014/]

Has anyone had any dealings with them? Anything people have heard about this publisher? Or has anyone used the NetGalley co-op feature they offer? Much thanks!

 

[aliceshortcake]

AW member "eternalised" is published by PP - perhaps she'd like to chime in?

It's very unfortunate that Amazon's Look Inside reveals that the first book featured on PP's website, The Lost Locket of Lahari Anthology ​(or at least the first story), is riddled with errors. This doesn't seem typical of other PP books.

 

[marielong]

I worked with them a few years ago around 2012/13 doing a Netgalley co-op. They were much smaller back then and only focused on Netgalley co-ops. The group started as a post on Kboards.com and grew from there. Everyone was pretty nice and professional when it came to handling the Netgalley stuff. They screened only serious reviewers when determining who was allowed access to Netgalley Books. I haven't worked with them since then, but I never had any issues with them. Sorry if my response isn't very helpful...

 

[heykatydid]

Thanks for the input! I'll continue searching, though I wish they would reply to my email. So far, I haven't heard anything that makes me want to steer clear of them.

 

[eternalised]

Yes, I'm getting one of my books published with them. The book isn't out yet (in the final stages) and I also have a short story in an anthology they're working on. Neither book has been released yet, so I can't speak for the process after release (marketing and such). I know books go up on Netgalley, and that Patchwork Press helps with marketing, but I don't have direct experience with that yet.

As for the process before release, it's a collective of self-publishing authors, which means that you as the author are responsible for the editing and the cover for your book. I like the freedom of that, and I knew what I was getting into. I wanted to self-publish this book series at first, but when I heard about Patchwork Press and the idea of a collective, I wanted to give it a try. I'm glad I did, the feedback I've received from the other authors has been very helpful for my book.

And while you're responsible for editing, Patchwork Press does have interns who will look through your manuscript, if you ask. I had two interns who edited my novella. Another intern edited the short story I wrote for their anthology recently. If I had self-published, I wouldn't have had that additional input.

It all comes down to what you're looking for. Patchwork Press isn't a traditional publisher. But if you want to self-publish your book but you don't want to walk the road alone (and you want someone to give you advice, give you feedback, and who knows the publishing process already and can guide you through it) then it's an option worth considering.

 

[heykatydid]

Eternalised, thanks for your information, and for sharing your experience! You actually answered several of the questions I had sent over via email - I already self-published the first in a duology, and have committed myself to self-pubbing the second, and was thinking that PWP might be a good home for it. Since I already have both an editor and a cover designer, both of whom I really like, this is an excellent option for submission. Thanks again, you have been very helpful!

 

[Undercover]

They do have really nice covers. I've seen them on Netgalley and was curious about them too. Thanks for the info Maj! Hope you're doing well!

 

[heykatydid]

I do have to report some slow response times, as I emailed them over three weeks ago with some general questions not answered on their FAQ and have not yet received any answer, but perhaps they are very busy fielding other things right now and haven't gotten around to the email. I also went ahead and actually submitted, to see if they feel like I am a good fit for them, but that was two weeks ago, and I haven't gotten a reply from that, either. It's an attractive option and seems helpful for a self-pubbed author, so I'm hopeful I'll hear something soon! I'll try and report back if things work out so others have some more information.