[Publisher] 48fourteen

[dondomat]

Good covers, accept all genres in the 60 000 - 120 000 range, no advance.
http://www.48fourteen.com/catalog/all
Opened random book on Amazon: not a genre I read, can't tell if the writing is OK; it seems the editing is just fine for the publisher level. No outrageous boo-boos, just the obligatory minor punctuation deficiencies.
They seem to have no presence in the Kindle section though, just physical books, which is weird, especially for a digital publisher, as they define themselves.

 

[Undercover]

On their about page:

"48fourteen is a publisher of digital content based off a community of social interaction. We provide an environment where readers can take part in the lives of our authors and share all the joys of writing through open communication. Authors communicate directly to their fans while readers can follow friends, discover who their peers are reading, and enjoy discussion in our forums."

Sounds like the author will need to be socially active in their forums to talk to readers directly. "Readers can take part in the lives of our authors"??? I'm not sure if I like the sound of that.

 

[kaitie]

That doesn't sound appealing to me as a reader or an author. I'm not sure I understand the desire to be involved in the life of my favorite authors. In fact, I've found that often the more I know about someone, the less I am able to enjoy their books.

 

[aliceshortcake]

I've found that often the more I know about someone, the less I am able to enjoy their books.

QFT. I've lost count of the number of times I've wished my favourite writers/actors/musicians would keep their traps shut about matters unrelated to their work.

 

[triceretops]

QFT. I've lost count of the number of times I've wished my favourite writers/actors/musicians would keep their traps shut about matters unrelated to their work.

In total agreement with that opinion. I'll investigate an author after I'm impressed with their book. Usually not before.

tri

 

[viridian6]

any new info on this publisher? anyone have experience with them?

 

[CKBrooke]

Hey, guys! I can fill you in on whatever you need to know about 48fourteen! My pen name is C.K. Brooke, and I've been an author with 48fourteen Publishing since April 2014. I currently have 4 novels under contract with them, 3 of which they've published. Their website has recently undergone a major makeover (as of summer 2015) and they now publish paperback versions of their eBooks. I encourage you to check out the changes: www.48fourteen.com.

Personally, I've had a very good experience with the company. They're a small, independent, royalty-paying publisher based out of TX. Their contracts are for 4 years, with the agreement that your book will be on the market within 12 months of signing the contract. If for whatever reason you should want out of the contract, all you have to do is provide 30 days written notice, and the manuscript will return to you in the state in which it was originally submitted.

They have some exceptional freelance editors they work with; I happened to be lucky and get the very best, Denise DeSio, for all four of my 48fourteen novels. Her editing has totally revolutionized my writing and been an invaluable asset to me. The company's books undergo as many rounds of professional editing as needed. The publisher also works with talented graphic designers that know their market, such as Amanda Matthews (http://AMDesignStudios.net) and Lyndsay Johnson, which is why 48fourteen books' cover art is so gorgeous (IMO). The publisher formats the interiors of their print & eBooks with individually and artistically designed headers and chapter titles, etc. You can "Look Inside" one of their books on Amazon (such as one of mine, The Red Pearl) and see the TLC they put into the unique design. The paperbacks are printed on heavy cream stock paper, giving them an overall aesthetically pleasing, professional look & feel on par with anything else you would pull off a bookstore shelf.

As for eBooks, they are all present in the Kindle market and some of their titles have been Amazon bestsellers in their categories (see Checked, Fire of the Sea, Born in Flames, etc.). Someone mentioned Mobi - Mobi *is* the Kindle eBook format. ePub is for NOOK and there's another kind of ePub for iBooks, I believe. 48fourteen sells their eBooks on Kindle, NOOK, iTunes, and Kobo. You can also purchase PDF eBooks from their website. The print books are not in physical bookstores, but they can be purchased online from B&N and BAM's websites, and most other major book retailers' sites, including Amazon, of course.

As for the social interaction/communication part you were discussing, what I think they mean is that their authors are expected to actively market and interact with readers via social media, like Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, etc. If you check out their Facebook page (http://Facebook.com/48fourteen), or that of one of their authors (I'm at http://Facebook.com/CK.Brooke, for example), you'll see we actively market by connecting with our followers, holding lots of contests and fun giveaways, playing around and posting pictures pertinent to our books, and just reaching out to people and having a good time online in general. For a lot of indie authors, this is a way to build your author platform, by "selling your personality" first (in essence), and thus you build a loyalty and connection between yourself & new potential readers. The company just wants their authors to be authentic and active in the reading community - not just publish a book and let the listing sit dormant on Amazon. In a perfect world, having a great book and being a great writer would be all it takes to sell your work, but in truth, even if you have a great product, most of us have to market it over a long period of time to be successful. And 48fourteen wants their authors to market their work first & foremost by being themselves and reaching out.

They don't have a huge marketing budget so authors do some marketing on their own. I paid for my own blog tour, bookmarks, Facebook & Goodreads ads, etc. (They do design attractive bookmarks and Facebook banners, etc. for you if you ask.) They do not give you a release date until maybe one or two weeks out (which can make advance marketing/booking tours or reviews, etc. a little difficult).

Overall, they are personable, ethical, and easy to work with. They're wonderful especially if you're brand new to publishing and a little scared...they're patient and will hold your hand through every step of the publication process. They invest an amazing amount of effort in the production, appearance and content of each of their publications. And they won't choose a cover you aren't happy with. They seem to be attracted to original, genre-bending stories, especially chick-lit, YA and fantasy sub-genres, like dystopia, folklore, mythology, knights & castles, paranormal romance, vampires... They like meaningful romance but not cookie-cutters, and don't expect them to publish anything with a bare-chested man gripping a semi-dressed woman in a compromising pose on the cover, LOL. (Too bad for me, as my next stream of novels are genre romances of this ilk and so I might have to shop those around.) Most of their authors are outgoing and the writing carries a degree of humor, whether outright playfulness and sarcasm, or that subtle, nod-and-wink J.K. Rowling style. The humor is one of the common threads I've noticed, having read several of their novels.

Alright, I hope any of this has been helpful and if anyone has questions, I'm happy to answer them! Have a great weekend.

 

[Cassie Knight]

Two things--one a complete agreement with not wanting to know the details of my favorite authors' personal lives. All I want to know is when is the next book coming out and pray it will be as fabulous as the one before.

Second, a bit of a rant as to this: "They like meaningful romance but not cookie-cutters..." I'm so sick of hearing this being said from people who have no idea that what they likely write IS cookie-cutter or as an excuse to have viewpoint all over the place because they don't want to fit a mold. It's like saying we're not cookie-cutter or don't fit a mold is justification for why they don't have to work on craft or story or without realizing that most of what is written is formulaic especially in romance. Guess what? That's okay. The formula is tried and true and a lot of readers like that otherwise romance would not be the success it is. What these people fail to understand it is not the formula that's the problem--it's the execution. I've read enough books over my 51 years to know the difference between true cookie-cutter stories (I won't name the best sellers here but you all know them) and those who write in the lovely formula of romance but manage to be different due to the way they tell the story and their voice.

I guarantee that the books in 48fourteen follow a formula and daresay, sound much like many others they sneer at.

Sorry but after hearing this for the third time in a week, I just had to rant.

 

[Zombie Fraggle]

I couldn't find the name of the publisher or any staff anywhere on the site, nor a brick-and-mortar address (or even a PO Box), and the domain name is registered by proxy.

Strike one, two, and three. Wouldn't touch 'em for those reasons alone.

 

[Thedrellum]

I just have a question about this:

If for whatever reason you should want out of the contract, all you have to do is provide 30 days written notice, and the manuscript will return to you in the state in which it was originally submitted.

That seems to imply that 48fourteen is giving you back your novelin the state it was before all the editing. In this case, they are still holding your novel hostage. Also, I'm not sure they can do that since that wouldn't really be releasing the rights to the novel. Others much more experienced than I will hopefully clarify but, as it seems, that doesn't appear to be a good deal at all in regards to exiting your contract.

 

[CKBrooke]

Wow. I was trying to help, but looks like I opened an unintended can of worms.

Firstly, please forgive my usage of the term "cookie cutter." I was just quoting what was on their website's submissions guidelines. But I realize the term may be offensive. The previous poster is correct; most good novels do use some degree of a formula. Even 48fourteen novels. I think what they mean is that they aren't a one-note, straight-up "genre" publisher. And romances have to have a plot. But it's perhaps a subjective term. (And personally I like what might be deemed as "cookie cutter" novels, I like knowing what to expect and I love a good HEA.)

To address another poster: I am not 100% certain, but I do believe that yes, your novel returns to you when you choose to end the contract in the state before it was edited. I agree that this sucks, but I was unaware any publishers out there did otherwise. I would love to know which publishers will let you keep your novel after the contract's up in its edited/revised state when the publisher has already paid up-front for the editing (and I'm not being a smart Alec here; I really genuinely would love to know, because I'd query them. LOL!) I assumed this was an industry standard; if I am incorrect, please set me straight and mea culpa. At any rate, I'm sure this could be negotiable anyway, as they're very open-minded and easy to work with.

As per the poster who is turned off by not finding a staff member and the fact that the owner's identity & address are private, all you have to do is email them and the main staffer is Juanita. She has a profile page on the company website, runs the Facebook page, etc. She is, assuredly, a real person. I am unaware of whether they have a brick-and-mortar location or whether it's a home-based business. I'm assuming it's run virtually, out of the owner's home, which is why they don't release their home address, for the privacy & safety of their family. I don't know what their plans are for growth & expansion or if they are acquiring a brick-and-mortar premises for the future. All good questions. I can say that I've been working/publishing with them for over a year and there has been nothing shady or unethical, my royalties & payments are all presented transparently and promptly each quarter, and I have had no reason to suspect I'm being scammed.

I think their website and Facebook page speak for themselves..they're a serious and emerging small, indie publisher. They invest honest work, time and effort into their releases. They're not some sort of front. But to each his own, if they're not your style there's plenty of others to query out there.

 

[Cassie Knight]

Firstly, please forgive my usage of the term "cookie cutter." I was just quoting what's on their website's submissions guidelines. But I realize the term may be offensive. The previous poster is correct; most good novels do use some degree of a formula. Even 48fourteen novels. I think what they mean is that they don't publish straight-up "genre" romance (or genre novels). They'll publish, for example, a sci-fi/fantasy with action & romance in it, but aren't a genre/mass market paperback romance publisher. They aren't Harlequin (and there's nothing wrong with Harlequin). It's perhaps a subjective term. (And personally I like what might be deemed as "cookie cutter" novels, I like knowing what to expect and I love a good HEA.)

To address another poster: I am not 100% certain, but I do believe that yes, your novel returns to you when you choose to end the contract in the state before it was edited. I agree that this sucks, but I was unaware any publishers out there did otherwise. I would love to know which publishers will let you keep your novel after the contract's up in its edited/revised state when the publisher has already paid up-front for the editing (and I'm not being a smart Alec here; I really genuinely would love to know, because I'd query them. LOL!) I assumed this was an industry standard; if I am incorrect, please set me straight and mea culpa. At any rate, I'm sure this could be negotiable anyway, as they're very open-minded and easy to work with.

Hi CK!

It's not offensive other than the fact it's incorrect. I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were quoting from the publisher which makes it even worse as it suggests they don't know much about the market which means I wouldn't submit to them.

As to your understanding about the novel returning in the state it was that you submitted it, yes, that is true for most digital presses (I can't speak to the bigger ones). This is generally when someone asks for rights back before the book is released; however, yes, it's true for after release too. After all, the position is that the publisher paid for all that--why should you get to take it and self-publish and make money on what they paid for?

Having been on that side, a part of me agrees but the reality is that publishers don't have time to check every author who takes their rights and self-publishes to see if you are using their work (yes, a publisher told me that when I balked at an author getting their rights back on a book I worked my butt off on and I wouldn't see a dime). I guess it's a risk an author takes that a publisher will find out and decide to do something but I'm guessing the risk is minimum at small presses.

I've never actually searched out the legality of the rights issue on this so I'm hoping someone who knows will chime in.

 

[Thedrellum]

After all, the position is that the publisher paid for all that--why should you get to take it and self-publish and make money on what they paid for?

I suppose my understanding of it is that the editing process involves the editor suggesting changes and then the author working through those suggestions, making changes or not as s/he sees fit for their vision of the novel. This is not the same as having someone revise or rewrite your book for you. How can the changes that are made as a result, therefore, be determined as a result of the editing and not the author going back over their book an umpteenth time? How could you possibly determine this?

Covers and formatting are usually the property of the publisher. But I'm not ever sure of the major benefit of having a book returned to you if you then have to revise it differently to get it up to publishable standards and make sure it's not the same as the book that the publisher published. Granted, I haven't had a novel published by either a Big 5 or non-Big 5 publisher, but from what I've read I'd be surprised if having a book returned to you in its original state was default.

As with you both, I'm hoping someone else chimes in, too...

 

[Krista G.]

I don't have anything of substance to add to this conversation, unfortunately, but I just wanted to say that I was impressed with your professionalism and levelheadedness, CKBrooke. Lots of commenters descend into defensiveness and name-calling when the tough questions start flying, but you responded to each issue in an articulate and respectful way. Kudos to you.

 

[CKBrooke]

Aww! Thank you so much for that, Krista!

I also want to disclose that 48fourteen is unaware of my posting here (I don't even know if they're aware of this thread) so anything I say is not coming directly from the horse's mouth and I am capable of being mistaken. Hopefully I don't misrepresent the company - but as someone who's worked closely with them for the past 19 months, I feel I'm in a position to help answer other writers' questions.

I've never been published by a Big 5, but it's my understanding that when you sign with one of them, you sell your MS to them for life, plus 60 years (especially if you're a new author. I can post the link where I learned this information when I get to my computer - I'm posting via mobile at the moment - if anyone's interested in where I heard this). So, with a Big 5, you never get your rights back. At least with indie publishers you get your rights back at all, and I think some even give you the option to buy the rights to your artwork and possibly the editing. It could very well be negotiable. I don't know precisely how it works because I have no interest in pulling my publications from 48fourteen; they'd have to go out of business first, lol. Honestly I only threw that sentence in my original post in the first place to show that there are no fees and no "buy-out clause" for breaking a Publishing Agreement with 48fourteen, which I thought was cool. But frankly, if anyone pulled out from an indie publisher, what's to stop them from simply going back into their old doc with a copy of their paperback and re-editing the original MS to almost identical to what their publisher's editor did? (Plus, it's an opportunity to make added changes.)

Cassie (love your website btw), I think 48fourteen does understand that there's an enormous market for genre romance out there. I read somewhere that genre romance makes up 50% of book sales (this might've been digital book sales - sorry I don't have the source where I found that stat; I think it was off a romance pub's website). I think 48fourteen isn't interested in genre romance not because they don't think it would do great on the market, but simply due to the owner's taste. In other words, I'm guessing it's just a reflection of her personal reading preference. I'm sure they're aware they'd make a lot more money pubbing genre romances, but that's not how they're branding themselves. There are lots of digital romance publishers out there, and I'm guessing they're not out to compete with those. I don't know if it's up on their new site, but I remember their old site saying that some genre romance publishers state in their submissions guidelines that the plot in the story must not overshadow the romance, and the romance itself should be the main plot (and I myself have read stuff like this when querying said publishers). 48fourteen is just saying that, while they like romantic subplots, they want to read books with plots that take the foreground, and the entire plot cannot just be the romance itself. I don't think this is so incorrect or unreasonable as it's simply a matter of taste. I know plenty of people who don't read paperback romances (and I know plenty who do).

My first book (The Duchess Quest) was a pseudo-historical epic in a fantasy land, though with no magic, with a complex cast of characters and subplots of murder, intrigue, romance and adventure. I was told by some agents that they loved it, but they wouldn't sign it because it didn't fit neatly into any genre. It was fantasy, but without magical elements. It was romance, but with a vast focus on characters & plots ansillary to the story's central romance. It had an historical feel, but the era was fictional/fairy tale. (It was inspired by The Princess Bride, which we've all heard of - and therefore we know that a work like that can be successful, even if it transcends lines of fantasy-romance-adventure.) But because of its genre-straddling, I was struggling to find a taker. I queried 48fourteen because they explicitly said they didn't do "cookie cutter" novels and enjoy ones that bend genres. And they were the ones who ended up making me an offer. No, I've not had Princess Bride-level success. Because the market typically likes defined genres (and that's ok). But in a world with plenty of genre publishers out there, 48fourteen exists for those of us who have something worth publishing, yet isn't marketable to those other publishers looking for something very specific and neatly defined. They were willing to take a chance on me when no one else would. That's who they're there for, and that's what they're looking for.

 

[Krista G.]

I have contracts with Penguin and Sourcebooks, one of the larger independent publishers in the United States, and both include reversion clauses. The terms of those clauses aren't fantastic--if the books go out of print, the publishers have six to twelve months to put them back into print, or all rights revert to me--but they are there. And I remember reading about a memoir that was published by a major publisher, then went out of print, was self-published by the author, and was later optioned by an award-winning producer. Let me see if I can find that link. Oh, yep here it is: http://nelsonagency.com/2015/09/a-digital-love-story-of-survivability/ So it wasn't one of the Big Five, but Kensington certainly isn't a small press.

 

[CKBrooke]

Thank you for explaining this, Krista! I'm so glad you shared this, and from personal experience, because it renews my faith and interest in the Big 5, lol.

The article by which I was going was The Real Price of Traditional Publishing by Dean Wesley Smith: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/the-new-world-of-publishing-the-real-price-of-traditional-publishing/

He made it sound to me as though getting your rights back after your book gets backlisted by a Big 5 can be a costly and time-consuming legal endeavor. But I guess it just depends on the contract.

 

[Becca C.]

I'm contracted with Skyhorse/Sky Pony Press, a mid-sized independent, and there's definitely a reversion clause. I think you're confusing rights reversion with the rules of copyright (life of the author plus 70 years, etc). Copyright always belongs to you unless you're doing work-for-hire or otherwise explicitly giving it up. Publishers, even the Big 5, buy publishing rights, not copyrights.

 

[CKBrooke]

Becca - spot on. Thanks for clarifying. Copyright always belongs to the author - what I meant was rights reversion and publishing rights.

By the way, I also want to pipe in again, regarding the author/social networking thing, with something I forgot to mention previously. The contributors to this forum have made it clear that they wish to know nothing of authors' personal lives. Fair enough. But 48fourteen is not encouraging authors to share details of their personal lives on their professional social media accounts. They're only encouraging them to "share the joys of writing"; in other words, blog and post on FB, etc. about their books and their writing process. I agree, I don't want to know if my favorite author is going through a divorce or something... but I sure love it when J.K. Rowling tweets that she's begun a new project, or when my favorite author announces their next release on social media!

 

[Krista G.]

There are publishers that include life-of-copyright clauses in their contracts--you're granting them the right to publish your work for as long as the copyright is in effect--which is obviously a terrible deal for the writer.

 

[JulieB]

There are publishers that include life-of-copyright clauses in their contracts--you're granting them the right to publish your work for as long as the copyright is in effect--which is obviously a terrible deal for the writer.

That, IMO, would depend on the reversion clause. Writer Beware has more here.

 

[Krista G.]

That, IMO, would depend on the reversion clause. Writer Beware has more here.

Good point, Julie. I should have said it can be a terrible deal for the writer.