[Publishing svcs] Wildheart Books

[brainstorm77]

http://wildheartbooks.blogspot.com/ Note the donate button on the first page. I've never seen that before specifically for advances.


ETA: http://www.wildheartbooks.com/

 

[JerseyGirl1962]

Wow - donate for Advances? WTF?

And then there's this in the blog:

So, just relax for a few days while we get things up and running and figure out our initial direction regarding the type of manuscript we're going to request. Meanwhile, if you have a favorite genre, please take a moment and fill out the poll in the right sidebar.
​

They haven't even figured out what types of genres they're going to publish? Hunh?

I don't get it.

Nancy

 

[Undercover]

They only have 3 followers and some 200 hundred views to the blog? Sounds like a scam with the donate thing too. (just my opinion though, could be wrong)

 

[Momento Mori]

I love the fact that in the blog they say that their business plan is complete before going on to say that they don't know if they're an ebook or POD publisher, they don't have a professional editor yet or a graphic designer. And yet despite all these failings, they still want people to submit a manuscript because they think that's the key to starting a publisher.

Idiots.

And my assessment that they're idiots is borne out by this:

Wildhearts Blog:
Now comes the sales pitch. Keep in mind that in order to pay our writers their cash advances (which we are definitely planning on doing, of course) we need to have some cash on hand. Obviously. With that wonderful idea in mind, I would like to recommend Scary Night Music, a short chapter book in the ebook format that's perfect for reluctant readers. Still only 99 cents at Amazon.com. We would like to see at least 10,000 of these sold by the end of the year. So your help would be greatly appreciated in that endeavor. And here's the LINK! Get your copy today so we can continue with this new project in an expeditious manner.

So not only do they not actually appear to have any money to fund manuscript acquisition, but they also think they're going to sell 10,000 copies of a short story by the end of the year when the blog was posted yesterday.

Honestly, anyone who read all that and still submits their manuscript to this bunch of utter numpties is asking for a kicking.

MM

 

[defyalllogic]

It's a community lounge where you can come to find out about what we're doing in our efforts to put a new publishing adventure together. An adventure that will from this date forward be known as Wildheart Books.

I don't want an adventure, I want a business.

Also, blogspot...

 

[agentpaper]

What I find interesting is that this blog's author is the same as the author whose short story they're selling...Might the blogs be run by the same person?

If you scroll down, you'll see the ebook short story is a "test" story. I'm not sure what that means...

 

[IceCreamEmpress]

This is astonishingly unprofessional. Run like the wind, potential authors! RUN LIKE THE WIND!

 

[brianm]

Idiots

Diddo on that.

 

[Bicyclefish]

What I find interesting is that this blog's author is the same as the author whose short story they're selling...Might the blogs be run by the same person?

I'm a bit confused. The name on the book and of the blog is Cornell Deville, but the name on Wildheart's and the author blog's entries is Michael. Is it a pseudonym? Is he a friend or relative of the author?

In an attempt to answer this I discovered his other blog. As far as credentials, this (linked from the aforementioned blog) may be him.

I feel like such a stalker.

 

[brainstorm77]

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199312 <---- That thread is what caused me to check them out.

 

[Bicyclefish]

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=199312 <---- That thread is what caused me to check them out.

Looking at his post history, I see it is his book.

I found another work under his name, The Treasure of Morro Bay, also through Wildheart.

I love the fact that in the blog they say that their business plan is complete before going on to say that they don't know if they're an ebook or POD publisher, they don't have a professional editor yet or a graphic designer. And yet despite all these failings, they still want people to submit a manuscript because they think that's the key to starting a publisher.

Pah. Who needs a graphic designer? Authors can do it themselves! I have Photoshop!*posterizes everything*

 

[Old Hack]

Michael, I'm sorry you feel that we've been too harsh. But I see nothing in your experience which gives me confidence that you have the knowledge or skills to run a publishing company, and several of your comments both here and on your blog reinforce that view.

For example, this from your blog:

With the advent of the e-reader and the popularity of digital books, traditional publishing is suffering. If you keep up with the publishing news, you know that's the case. Publishers are becoming much more selective in the books they decide to print and distribute. Because of that, literary agents are also being very selective in the works they offer to represent. So that leaves the aspiring author with two options: First, they can give up submitting their work to agents and never get published. That doesn't work for me, and I don't think it's going to work for very many writers. The other option is to take the bull by the horns, bypass the publisher altogether, and offer your work in either ebook or POD format, or both.

It's trade publishing, not "traditional". And trade publishing is not suffering because of digitisation: it's suffering because there's been a world-wide financial crisis, and our economies have been in recession. That has nothing to do with the advent of digital books, which are just another container for books to be sold in, just like paperback or hardback or audio books. Electronic publishing provides agents with yet another format to sell their clients' books in: it's adding value to most professional writers' careers, not reducing value.

Books are rejected by publishers and agents because they're not likely to sell many copies. So how are you going to make these books which don't have any real commercial potential make money for you and the writers you publish? You have no publishing expertise, you have some very skewed ideas about how publishing works, you have no distribution, you have no funding, and you don't even know what sorts of books you're going to publish.

Please don't argue that you're not doing this for the money: to get those books edited, designed and published well you'll need to pour a few thousand dollars into each one otherwise you'll put out books which look shoddy and slapdash no matter how well-written they are.

If you go ahead with your publishing idea and then fail--and based on what I've read on your blog I cannot see any other outcome for this scheme, I'm afraid--the books that you've published will be second-hand goods. If the rights revert the authors concerned will struggle to find another publisher to take them on; but many failed publishers don't get around to reverting those rights to the authors, and so the authors lose their books forever.

I'm sorry, Michael, but this plan of yours has trainwreck written all over it. Please reconsider.

 

[Parametric]

Can I ask why you advertised your own business without revealing that it was yours? It's kind of like a review saying "Hey, you might want to check out this book," and the reviewer never mentions that they're the author.

 

[Terie]

So, the whole idea behind this initiative is not an attempt to scam anyone.

No one has suggested Wildheart is a scam. But there's not a lot of material difference between a scam and a bad idea from a writer's point of view. Sad to say, everything about Wildheart screams, 'bad idea'.

 

[eqb]

No one has suggested Wildheart is a scam. But there's not a lot of material difference between a scam and a bad idea from a writer's point of view. Sad to say, everything about Wildheart screams, 'bad idea'.

To be fair, one person thought the setup looked dodgy because of the donate button, but they did hedge their comment.

Michael, I realize you aren't a new member to AW, but you still might benefit from reading through more threads in the Bewares forum. You'll see that the concerns raised here are the same concerns raised for *all* new publishers.

You'll also see a lot of depressing stories unfold, where a new publisher started off with lots of good intentions, but not enough experience and planning. The publisher failed, and lots of authors saw their dreams crash and burn.

If you think you can make a case for your company, however, go for it. Let us know your plans for distribution, what genre(s) you plan to publish, whether you have adequate funding for several years, what kind of staff you plan to hire, and what kind of advances and royalties you plan to offer.

 

[jennontheisland]

Damn right we're tough.

You seem clueless. I'm not going to give you my books, and I'm going to suggest others don't either.

You're a member here. You can see the threads. You can read and be aware of what authors are looking for in a publisher (hint: it's the ability to make them money).

Nothing in your website or this thread is making me think handing over first publication rights to you is a good idea.

If you think it's tough that writers want to actually make money from their work, well, tough.

 

[priceless1]

What bothers me about neophyte publishers such as Wildheart is that they believe they're helping authors - the "giving them the chance they deserve." In reality, these ventures eventually implode due to lack of knowledge about the business, improper funding, zero distribution, zero marketing and promotion, and a lesser quality product. And what of the author? They're left without a home, their first print rights are gone.

How can you believe you're performing a service to authors if you need donations to pay their advances and employees? Good intentions aren't enough, and you really need to consider the people you're eventually taking down the tubes with you.

 

[IceCreamEmpress]

I find it a bit disheartening when trying to offer assistance and help to others and you're slapped in the face by a few who wish to pass judgement without knowing the facts.

One fact is that your website is unprofessional. Another fact is that you don't seem to have any plans for marketing or promoting or distribution.

Asking for donations isn't just a "mistake", it undermines your whole endeavor. Either you are running a business or you are running a charity. If you're running a business, you need to have a business plan and to present yourself professionally; if you're running a charity, people shouldn't be sending you their manuscripts for publication, but instead sending them to actual publishers who are running a business.

You may be the kindest, most generous person who ever lived. You may be the best wildlife artist and graphic designer in history. I have no reason to think you're trying to scam people (except for the "asking for donations to fund your business" thing, which might equally be ascribed to cluelessness), but I also have no reason to think that you know what you're doing.

And that's the bottom line here. Writers should give their work a chance, I agree--and the chance they should give it is to be published by people who treat the business of publishing with professionalism and foresight. Because it's a business.

Create a publishing business with a business plan and model that works, and we'll be all for you. Good intentions alone don't cut it.

 

[Jersey Chick]

If I was looking for a publisher to submit to, and the first one I found not only had a donate button, but also admitted they have NO FUNDS, why on earth would I sub to them? That would be like taking a job somewhere and being told that the company might not be able to pay you.

Even PublishAmerica brags about how they never ask their authors for a cent.

JMHO, of course.

 

[Jennifer Robins]

The publishing world is getting as ridiculous as Congress USA. What's next?

 

[eqb]

The donate button is gone from the Wildheart site, along with the original two posts. The new placeholder post is a bit vague, but I would like to believe he's re-thinking his plans.

ETA: Apparently not, because he's replaced that post with yet another, promising something big and wild on the horizon. (Excuse me while I go pound my head against my desk.)

 

[Undercover]

Thanks for all the visits.
It's amazing how a little controversy can stir things up.
My Adsense account is looking great today!

Now he's bragging about his Adsense? More like nonsense to me.

 

[brainstorm77]

Yeah, he also deleted his post here. But I expect the thread speaks for itself, and last time I checked it hit #3 when searching Wildheart Books on Google.

 

[eqb]

Now he's bragging about his Adsense? More like nonsense to me.

No experience, no money, and no business plan lead to this:

 

[Jersey Chick]

Does that count as flounce?

And yet again, someone else who equates asking legitimate questions with bashing/hating/slapping down/insert-nonsense-response here.

**sigh**