Sweatshoppe Publications

[kelliewallace]

These guys followed me on Twitter. Currently only accepting US based authors.

Anyone heard of them?

 

[kaitie]

Okay, I've just got to say that's one of the worst names I've ever heard.

 

[jvc]

I kept looking at that name and kept wondering if they really did want it to read 'sweatshoppe' instead of 'sweetshoppe'. Because Sweatshoppe does seem rather odd.

 

[Wisteria Vine]

Gross.

 

[victoriastrauss]

Sweatshoppe is something of a hybrid publishing house. Traditional in that we don't charge authors to get published, yet we provide the higher level of input, customization, and personal care that one might expect from a paid service. We are hoping this will start a trend among publishers that will return power to the authors.

Alrighty, then.

Looks to me as if they provide essentially the same suite of services authors can get from a self-publishing company.

- Victoria

 

[LindaJeanne]

Looks like a self-publisher that's opened up to submissions to other authors.

Sweatshoppe Publications has been privately publishing books since the mid 2000s. In February 2012, it undertook the publication of The Rusty Nail literary magazine, which has grown quickly since its first issue in March of that year.
Sweatshoppe Publications now is expanding to offers its publishing services to authors.

They are ebook and pod: Amazon, B&N, and "Available for order through" brick-and-mortar stores. (They don't manipulate the wording to make it sound like they'll be on the shelves. There's a marketing page (http://sweatshoppepublications.com/marketing.html), of the set-up-a-table-at-your-farmers-market-or-arts-festival variety.

Good rights reversion (on request, 365 days after publication -- provided the actual contract gives provision for what happens if they receive the completed manuscript but don't publish it).

I couldn't find any information about the people behind the publisher, or their publishing experience, on the website, so I tried Google:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sweatshoppe-publications-start-up-fund?website_name=sweatshoppe

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/craig-hart/65/1a1/900

Also from their about page:

Sweatshoppe is something of a hybrid publishing house. Traditional in the sense that we don't charge authors to get published, but they get the higher level of input, customization, and personal care one might expect from a paid service. We are hoping that this will start a trend among publishers that will return the power to the authors.

Edited to add: And... Ninja'd by Victoria!

 

[cornflake]

Honest to god with the name. They didn't even go all the way to 'Ye Olde Sweatshoppe.'

I won't even buy candy from the stupid store named 'IT'SUGAR' because they can't spell. I'd publish a book at 'Sweatshoppe'?

 

[Broadswordbabe]

I'm trying to imagine what they're going for with that name. A cute, oldy-fashionedy version of a sweat shop? All their authors toiling away at workbenches in horrible conditions for a penny a page, while wearing Dickensian costume? Because that's the distinctly weird and not terribly positive image I'm getting. Either their spelling or their self-marketing is extremely dodgy. Neither of which would incline me in their favour.

 

[BenPanced]

 

[craighart]

Hello everyone,

Craig Hart, publisher for Sweatshoppe Publications here. I just wanted to say thanks for discussing Sweatshoppe! If you have any questions about us, don't hesitate to ask.

 

[jvc]

Hi Craig, welcome to the watercooler.

Okay, I'll jump in with the first question that popped into my head as I'm a curious kinda guy, and that would be concerning your publication name: What is the reasoning behind it?

 

[craighart]

What is the reasoning behind it?

Sure! Thanks for the question. We all know what sweatshops are, those horrible, low wage places of employment where workers slave away for long hours. Also as we all know, the writing life is often much the same! Connect that with the fact that people often add an 'e' to the end of words to make them appear charming or quaint: shoppe, olde, etc.

The name Sweatshoppe is both a commentary on the efforts of a lot of other publishers who attempt to sugarcoat the realities of the industry in order to gain clients and also a bit of lighthearted fun at the expense of that endeavor we all love: writing. Think of it as a wry smile, perhaps.

While we do take writing and publishing seriously, we try not to take ourselves all that seriously. Fame and fortune are elusive, so in the meantime we're making the journey fun!

 

[jvc]

So you're saying the name came about because you don't want to sugarcoat the reality of publishing with your company? Which is horrible working conditions, long hours for little reward, and piss poor pay?

 

[Fanatic_Dreamer]

I have a few questions.

Is there anything specific type of novel that the company is looking to acquire?

You say that you don't charge your writers to be published. Now does that mean you don't charge for ANYTHING, like editing and what not? Or just for the actual publishing.

Do you help market your authors?

 

[craighart]

So you're saying the name came about because you don't want to sugarcoat the reality of publishing with your company? Which is horrible working conditions, long hours for little reward, and piss poor pay?

Hahaha...well, we went into this knowing our brand of humor wouldn't be for everyone, but we're pretty happy with the community we've been putting together!

 

[BenPanced]

Frankly, I'd be embarrassed to admit to people I was published by an outfit with such a name because of the negative connotations.

 

[craighart]

I have a few questions.

Fanatic_Dreamer: Thanks for the questions. First of all, Sweatshoppe is a new publisher. We just began public operations in January, so we are open to a wide variety of novel genres. We'd love to pick up a couple of crime and fantasy novels, but we're not tunnel-visioned on that right now.

Second, we never require payment from authors. We undertake all of the costs of design and of putting the book onto the market. Editing is a cooperative effort between us and the author. The only times Sweatshoppe would receive money from an author would be 1.) if they purchase their own books (which they are never required to do) or 2.) if the author requested some sort of change to the book files once they've been approved and sent into distribution.

For marketing: as mentioned, we are a new publisher, so we don't have a huge marketing budget. Authors can't expect radio commercials or billboards. We're not there. Maybe someday, but not right now. What we do is use social media to push the book (not just once, but on an ongoing basis), we send out press releases through our relationship with MyPRGenie, and we work with the authors on their individual efforts.

 

[craighart]

Frankly, I'd be embarrassed to admit to people I was published by an outfit with such a name because of the negative connotations.

Each to their own! I respect your position, but we've been very happy with how well-received our efforts have been so far.

 

[Filigree]

I rather like the ironic honesty of the name.

 

[kaitie]

Can I ask what experience you and the rest of the team have? Also, what is the editing process like?

 

[craighart]

Can I ask what experience you and the rest of the team have? Also, what is the editing process like?

Absolutely! The same people are working on Sweatshoppe as those on The Rusty Nail literary magazine (which is published by Sweatshoppe, by the way).

The editing process is a cooperative and simple process. We go through it, then send it to the author. The author goes over the manuscript and then reports any items they may need changed.

 

[BenPanced]

Can I ask what experience you and the rest of the team have? Also, what is the editing process like?

Absolutely! The same people are working on Sweatshoppe as those on The Rusty Nail literary magazine (which is published by Sweatshoppe, by the way).

The editing process is a cooperative and simple process. We go through it, then send it to the author. The author goes over the manuscript and then reports any items they may need changed.

And I'm going to ask again: what experience do you and the rest of the staff have? Telling us you work together on the literary magazine doesn't say anything. What experience do you have? Where have you worked before? Have you worked in publishing in any capacity somewhere else? What experience do you and the rest of the staff have?

 

[craighart]

And I'm going to ask again: what experience do you and the rest of the staff have? Telling us you work together on the literary magazine doesn't say anything. What experience do you have? Where have you worked before? Have you worked in publishing in any capacity somewhere else? What experience do you and the rest of the staff have?

Well, at the risk of making this sound like a job interview answer, let me say that I and the rest of the staff have years of cumulative experience in our respective roles (publishing, graphic design). This, of course, includes The Rusty Nail magazine, which is why I included it in my previous answer.

In addition, we have also worked on independent projects, providing design and publishing services on a private basis.

But the real proof is in the product, so I'd suggest stopping by our webpage (which is still a little messy at the moment) and checking out the latest releases to see what kind of stuff we put out.

 

[kelliewallace]

Hello, currently you are only open to US based submissions. Will you ever open to the rest of the world?

 

[craighart]

Hello, currently you are only open to US based submissions. Will you ever open to the rest of the world?

We hope to. We currently have several UK authors who have expressed interest in publishing with us that we'd love to take on board. Unfortunately, I don't have a timeline for that...largely depends on our rate of growth.