Pen-L Publishing

[francisbruno]

Hi all,
I have a friend who was offered a contract w/ Pen-L: http://www.pen-l.com. I was wondering if anyone had any experience or knew anything about them.

Some things of concern in the contract he was sent:
It seems they want pretty much all rights.
There is no advance.
They are paying a percentage of "net profits". I'm not sure if they define the costs up front.

I haven't seen the contract, so I apologize for being vague. He is trying to sign into the board, but doesn't have permission yet.

Thanks!

 

[veinglory]

It is clear this is run by the Pennells. Maybe I have a dirty mind but that is not the first think "Pen-L" suggested to me.

The press is new. Their background, to the extent they have one, is in western. And I get the impression markets for westerns are somewhat limited. The books they have out are a typical price for digitally printed large format paperbacks and ebooks. Sales don't seem to be huge.

I can't speak to the contract.

 

[MadisonWoods]

I can personally vouch for the Pen-L's (it's a play on the spelling of their last name "Pennell"), but I don't have any books submitted to or published by them. They're just friends of mine (real life, not virtual). Their business is new and they don't have a large operating capital, but they are honest folks and are making a committed go at a legitimate startup. I can only assume that carries with it the usual risks. I can't say how willing they are to negotiate their contracts, but it never hurts to dig into such things fairly intensively before signing, regardless of who's doing the offering.

 

[NoblinGoblin]

I researched this publisher a little while back because they're fairly local to me. I didn't get the impression that they're a vanity press, but my guess is that they're POD and that the marketing will be left almost entirely up to the writer.

There were three local publishers I researched, and of them all Pen-L seemed to be the best, but that's not saying much since I really wasn't impressed with the other two.

 

[grizzletoad1]

Has anyone had any dealings with Pen-L Publishing? Just looking for any information as to whether or not they are good to deal with or should be avoided.

 

[ironmikezero]

Newish small pub (and seems pretty picky)... I understand the owner has a LE (law enforcement) background (past career - retired?) I haven't read or heard anything negative.

I queried a contemporary crime/police procedural in late June/early July. They ask for a synopsis, the first few - and the last chapter. They acknowledge receipt and caution that they're slow - 90 days or more for a response.

I haven't heard from them since... but then again, I'm still within the 90 days.

 

[mrsmig]

Newish small pub (and seems pretty picky)... I understand the owner has a LE (law enforcement) background (past career - retired?) I haven't read or heard anything negative.

I queried a contemporary crime/police procedural in late June/early July. They ask for a synopsis, the first few - and the last chapter. They acknowledge receipt and caution that they're slow - 90 days or more for a response.

I haven't heard from them since... but then again, I'm still within the 90 days.

Here's a link: http://www.pen-l.com/books.html

The company's principals are also the force behind this read-for-free Western short story site: http://www.frontiertales.com/index.php

Of the books they've already published, the pricing seems a little high - between $12-$15 for books ranging from about 200-370 pages. Of those available digitally, the prices hit around $5.

 

[grizzletoad1]

Has anyone ever had any dealings with this publisher? I have a query out with them. Any information will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[grizzletoad1]

Never mind. For some reason, the search feature never picked up on Pen-L for a link. It kept telling me there were no matches in the data base, so I just resubmitted a question I posed 3 months ago. I recently traced them on my sub after sending it to them over 90 days ago. Hoping it works out, but if all they are is a POD operation that leaves the marketing up to me, I might as well just self-pub on Create Space and KDP. Better return and I retain my rights.

 

[LindaJeanne]

The index sticky at the top of the board is more reliable than the search, thanks to Cao Pax's hard work keeping it that way.

 

[grizzletoad1]

Thanks. Doesn't matter anyway. Got my rejection from them this afternoon. Oh well. Onward!