[Publisher] Black Rose Writing (Reagan Rothe)

[JoeMama]

Thanks for the welcome stormie, BenPanced and Gillhoughly. Yeah, I'm most definitely over 18 and do have a credit card so I'll await anxiously... I'll definitely be checking back regularly and thanks for the tip. I think I'll go look at the "Uncle Jim Tread" you mention.
Thanks again.

 

[blackrosewriting]

Black Rose Writing update

Black Rose Writing has just completed listed nearly 20 titles at the New York Book Expo with author badges supplied to our authors to attend.

We will also host 7 authors at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, TX and many more events in the coming year.

We have still never charged a penny to our authors for any fee-based service, our new and returning authors have elected to purchase some of their own books at a greater discount than the royalties RandomHouse pays, which is beneficial to all ends.

We thank you for all of your observations, and especially thank the criticism from those authors who have never been published by Black Rose Writing, and do not know the work and flexibility and change we have put into this new publishing world and market.

Many of our authors did not purchase any books for their title, WR.PARK, Jennifer Webster, Thomas Thorpe, wonderful writers.

Best of luck in your writing endeavors and finding the proper publishing fit. Thank you for your feedback and help (even those writers who have nothing to say but slander and negativity.)

 

[victoriastrauss]

It's libel. And no one here has libeled you.

I've seen multiple Black Rose contracts that include an author purchase requirement. It may indeed be that some of your authors don't have this in their contracts--but the bottom line is that many, if not most, must pay in order to be published.

- Victoria

 

[Gillhoughly]

We thank you for all of your observations, and especially thank the criticism from those authors who have never been published by Black Rose Writing, and do not know the work and flexibility and change we have put into this new publishing world and market.

BRW's impact on the industry is on a level with tossing a pebble in the Mississippi: a small splash, a few rings, and Old Man River just keeps rolling along.

Authors like myself have not published, much less submitted work to, BRW because there are better venues available that pay the writer a proper advance and do not use an operation like PublishAmerica as a business model.

There's still no evidence that Mr. Rothe has any professional experience in the book publishing industry aside from hanging out a shingle on the Web one fine day and calling himself a publisher.

Even working for a month for a small press would be something.

After four years:

Same amateurish website design, same strange PDFs offering advice on how to write poetry (though BRW does not publish poetry), a query letter, and (not kidding) how to "build a nothing" which nearly made my head explode, but my eyes glazed over just in time, saving me.

I suppose it made sense when it was written. Heck, there's weirdness on my website I uploaded years ago, forgot about, and should take down.

While BRW isn't twisting anyone's arm to buy their own book, a portion of the FAQ page is devoted to that topic.

Then we have this: from 6/13/10, post #351 by triceretops who got this mail from BRW:


We are in the process of reviewing your novel and considering your work for publication.

This has no reflection on the basis for our final decision, but we take pride in being upfront and honest, thus finding out the type of book campaign our authors plan to run alongside our own. Our data indicates that authors who have many copies in hand are motivated and tend to do much better at generating leads, which we can follow-up and assist with scheduling events and sending promotional copies. It also increases sales, which allows us to open up our budget even more to publicize and promote . We'd like to ask how many author copies do you plan on ordering at release?

Regards,
Reagan Rothe

Creator of Black Rose Writing



BRW remains firmly on this author and editor's "Not Recommended" list.

It ain't libel if it's true.

.

 

[Cyia]

Black Rose Writing has just completed listed nearly 20 titles at the New York Book Expo with author badges supplied to our authors to attend.

Rule one: if you want to publish books, you need to know how to construct proper sentences. Check the red passage and tell me if that's what you meant to say.

We have still never charged a penny to our authors for any fee-based service, our new and returning authors have elected to purchase some of their own books at a greater discount than the royalties RandomHouse pays, which is beneficial to all ends.

Again.... read it. Slowly. What are you trying to say?

No one can purchase books at a higher discount than RH's royalties. One's paid out, one's paid in.

Buying books - purchase

Royalty - payment

These things are not the same.

Many of our authors did not purchase any books for their title, WR.PARK, Jennifer Webster, Thomas Thorpe, wonderful writers.

You consider 3 to be "many"? Seriously?

 

[IceCreamEmpress]

Black Rose Writing has just completed listed nearly 20 titles at the New York Book Expo with author badges supplied to our authors to attend.

We will also host 7 authors at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, TX and many more events in the coming year.

We have still never charged a penny to our authors for any fee-based service, our new and returning authors have elected to purchase some of their own books at a greater discount than the royalties RandomHouse pays, which is beneficial to all ends.

We thank you for all of your observations, and especially thank the criticism from those authors who have never been published by Black Rose Writing, and do not know the work and flexibility and change we have put into this new publishing world and market.

Many of our authors did not purchase any books for their title, WR.PARK, Jennifer Webster, Thomas Thorpe, wonderful writers.

Best of luck in your writing endeavors and finding the proper publishing fit. Thank you for your feedback and help (even those writers who have nothing to say but slander and negativity.)

Quoting in full so that the level of professionalism demonstrated is clear. I think Mr. Rothe's response speaks for itself.

 

[blackrosewriting]

Black Rose update

I am not hear to counter anything that has been said about Black Rose Writing, only update everyone and inform them that our so-called "vanity" press has attended and will be attending:

-NY Book Expo
-ALA Show
-Texas Book Festival with seven authors from the U.S. attending to sign and promote
-Old-Fashioned Christmas with more authors attending from the U.S. to sign and promote

We also just donated to Reading is Fundamental, already sent out over 1,000 review copies this year, and have scheduled many book signings and promotional events for our authors.

All aspects of a "vanity" press. I am very sorry that some of our critics, who have never been published or associated with us, have all this FREE time to continue trying to attack a company who deals with their authors on a personal level, and believes they all deserve their books to be read.

Never will please everyone. Best of luck writers!

 

[brianm]

I am not hear to counter anything that has been said about Black Rose Writing, only update everyone and inform them that our so-called "vanity" press has attended and will be attending:

-NY Book Expo
-ALA Show
-Texas Book Festival with seven authors from the U.S. attending to sign and promote
-Old-Fashioned Christmas with more authors attending from the U.S. to sign and promote

We also just donated to Reading is Fundamental, already sent out over 1,000 review copies this year, and have scheduled many book signings and promotional events for our authors.

All aspects of a "vanity" press. I am very sorry that some of our critics, who have never been published or associated with us, have all this FREE time to continue trying to attack a company who deals with their authors on a personal level, and believes they all deserve their books to be read.

Never will please everyone. Best of luck writers!

Oh, dear. Time to get out the bingo cards.

 

[DaveKuzminski]

I am not hear to counter anything that has been said about Black Rose Writing, only update everyone and inform them that our so-called "vanity" press has attended and will be attending:

-NY Book Expo
-ALA Show
-Texas Book Festival with seven authors from the U.S. attending to sign and promote
-Old-Fashioned Christmas with more authors attending from the U.S. to sign and promote

We also just donated to Reading is Fundamental, already sent out over 1,000 review copies this year, and have scheduled many book signings and promotional events for our authors.

All aspects of a "vanity" press. I am very sorry that some of our critics, who have never been published or associated with us, have all this FREE time to continue trying to attack a company who deals with their authors on a personal level, and believes they all deserve their books to be read.

Never will please everyone. Best of luck writers!

Obviously, BRW uses only the best editors in writing their defense judging by the first sentence above.

Also, donating to a fund is no indication of how good a publisher is.

But, selling books to an author so he'll have enough to market is definitely an indication of whether the company is a vanity publisher.

 

[brainstorm77]

I am not hear to counter anything that has been said about Black Rose Writing, only update everyone and inform them that our so-called "vanity" press has attended and will be attending:

-NY Book Expo
-ALA Show
-Texas Book Festival with seven authors from the U.S. attending to sign and promote
-Old-Fashioned Christmas with more authors attending from the U.S. to sign and promote

We also just donated to Reading is Fundamental, already sent out over 1,000 review copies this year, and have scheduled many book signings and promotional events for our authors.

All aspects of a "vanity" press. I am very sorry that some of our critics, who have never been published or associated with us, have all this FREE time to continue trying to attack a company who deals with their authors on a personal level, and believes they all deserve their books to be read.

Never will please everyone. Best of luck writers!

Thank you for bumping this thread.

 

[Marian Perera]

I am not hear to counter anything that has been said about Black Rose Writing, only update everyone and inform them that our so-called "vanity" press has attended and will be attending

What does this prove? Even PublishAmerica went to Book Expo America.

I am very sorry that some of our critics, who have never been published or associated with us...

You don't need to have been a meth addict to warn people about drugs.

 

[priceless1]

I am very sorry that some of our critics...have all this FREE time to continue trying to attack a company who deals with their authors on a personal level, and believes they all deserve their books to be read.

No one is attacking your company. This is a Bewares board, and as such, many agents and publishers are discussed in order to help authors make informed decisions that will favorably impact their writing careers. That you have come out on the short end of that particular stick is attributable to your publishing model.

I'd like to add that if I charged authors, I, too, could afford to say that "all their books deserve to be read." Alas, I depend on sales to keep my lights on, so I have to be mindful about the quality of books I produce.

 

[Gillhoughly]

You don't need to have been a meth addict to warn people about drugs.

SNAP!

 

[Momento Mori]

blackrosewriting:
-NY Book Expo
-ALA Show
-Texas Book Festival with seven authors from the U.S. attending to sign and promote
-Old-Fashioned Christmas with more authors attending from the U.S. to sign and promote

Anyone with a credit card can get a stand at those shows because they don't vet publishers. Hence other vanity houses like PA, AuthorHouse hell, even Bouncing Bobby's Strategic Publishing has had a stand.

If you think that it gives you some kind of legitimacy, then I think you need to raise the bar just a leetle.

blackrosewriting:
We also just donated to Reading is Fundamental, already sent out over 1,000 review copies this year, and have scheduled many book signings and promotional events for our authors.

For those signings and promotional events, did you arrange them direct with the bookstore owner and ensure the supply of the books or was this done by the author (and if so, did they have to buy their own books in order to have them to hand)?

blackrosewriting::
I am very sorry that some of our critics, who have never been published or associated with us, have all this FREE time to continue trying to attack a company who deals with their authors on a personal level, and believes they all deserve their books to be read.

I am very sorry that you have chosen to complain about legitimate criticism of your company rather than put into effect business practices that actually help to put money into your authors' pockets rather than taking money out of it.

MM

 

[victoriastrauss]

Mr. Rothe left the same message on my blog post about Black Rose Writing.

BRW is still asking The Question ("How many books do you plan to purchase for promotion?") at the "we're considering your book now" stage. Just heard from another writer who experienced this.

- Victoria

 

[priceless1]

BRW is still asking The Question ("How many books do you plan to purchase for promotion?") at the "we're considering your book now" stage. Just heard from another writer who experienced this.

- Victoria

If that's not vanity publishing, I don't know what is.

 

[XBurnerFrost]

So very glad I found this message board... I had submitted a proposal to Black Rose Writing and Mr Rothe just got back with me, wanting an e-copy of my novel. I've read through every page of this thread and I'm seriously thankful I did. So obviously, I'll be deleting his email.
It's a shame though, I was instantly filled with hope and dreams, there were No Bake cookie flavored lollipops and meatloafcicles everywhere.

 

[Mandiloo322]

That was me too. It stinks, but there are plenty of better deals out there! Don't give up!

 

[ISBN_Writer]

A few of you need to take your anti-depressants before you log onto Absolute Write. I published with BR. I DO NOT regret it. I have had lots of book signings in Barnes and Noble and met lots of great writers.

As far as critiquing someone's punctuation on a blog goes: you are just being annoying. This is a blog—not an article in the New York Times. I’m pretty sure everyone makes plenty of mistakes in their posts from time to time.

Let's not make things personally—really. There is no point. And let me say one thing about Black Rose that can't be said about any Vanity Press. The AUTHORS ARE SATISFIED AND HAPPY WITH THE EXPERIENCE. Every BR writer I have talked to has had a positive outcome; that does not mean there are not dissatisfied authors, but I don’t know any. Vanity presses always have a motley group of embittered writers who are ticked off because they’ve been had.

I published with BR. I am happy with how they treated my book and got it out there. It was a file on my computer, and now it is a book. I have had great experiences doing book signings at Barnes and Noble. I had the chance to meet Brandon Sanderson and Dan Wells—they invited me to be on their pod cast because they were so impressed with my novel. They each bought a copy. These things would not have happened, had I not published with BR.

Sometimes I think this site is too harsh. If there was a host of authors complaining about BR—about how they tricked them into investing their family fortune into their book—that would be one thing. But there is not.

 

[veinglory]

I think opening with a derogatory comment that also makes light of mental illness is a bit "harsh".

 

[IceCreamEmpress]

A few of you need to take your anti-depressants before you log onto Absolute Write

And you have the nerve to accuse others of being "harsh"? Puh-leez.

I prefer to work with people who evince professionalism in their business communications. You might have different priorities, which is certainly your right. As an editor myself, I try to be clear and precise in all my posts.

 

[Mr Flibble]

I am really glad you're happy. Really.

A couple of questions though:

Brandon Sanderson - cool you got to meet him and be on his podcast! Now he bought a copy, you say, because the novel was so good. Had he previously read it to know it was good?

If it is that good, why did you pay someone else to print it when you could have had someone pay you, get proper distribution etc etc?

Look, if you're happy then that's cool. Really. As logn as an author knows what they're into and happy with it, I;m happy.

But I'd be interested to know why you went vanity when a) your book is that good so it could have made you more from trad pub or b) when you could have done it yourself for a fraction of the price (it's never been easier/cheaper to do it all yourself) What did you see as the benefits of Black Rose over either of those two options?

 

[ISBN_Writer]

It's totally different to say to a group of random people to take an anti-depressant (or in other words: lighten up), than it is to attack someone's business. A few of your reactions to my phrase "take an anti-depressant," which is a common joke, goes to show that some of you are spun a little too tight. Unwind. Relax. The world will still go on if BR does.

And to answer your question IdiotsRU

I said he was impressed with the Novel—with the look, the feel, my explanation, my excitement, and the synopsis. How could he have previously read it if he did not own a copy?

As far as your other question: why did I publish with them? I would answer, why not? I have always said that publishing with BR has been a beneficial and rewarding experience. I published with them because I wanted a beneficial and rewarding experience. Nothing more; nothing less.

After all is said and done, I think BR's high author satisfaction speaks for itself.

 

[Stacia Kane]

It's a "common joke," really? I always thought "common jokes" were widely used and had, you know, a nugget of actual humor in them. But whatever. If you and your friends/social circle like to run around telling each other to take an anti-depressant instead of just saying "lighten up" (if that's what you mean by it), that's entirely your prerogative. I think it's rude and insulting, especially from someone I don't know who knows nothing about me or anyone else here.

But then I also think that just because someone is glad they went with a vanity press and is proud they paid to be published doesn't mean the rest of us have to like vanity presses, or consider paying to be published an achievement to be proud of.

To each their own, right?

 

[waylander]

I said he was impressed with the Novel—with the look, the feel, my explanation, my excitement, and the synopsis. How could he have previously read it if he did not own a copy?

Have you heard from him since? Along the lines of 'dude, what a cool book. You should query my agent with your next one or something like that."
Consider the possibility that he was being polite to someone who has paid to have their book published.