Travis, welcome to AW. Thank you for taking the time and trouble to drop by.
In order to save time and bandwidth I'm going to be brief and blunt here. Please don't think I'm being dismissive or rude: that's not my intention at all.
I'm a bit of a pedant, and much prefer "trade publishing" to "traditional publishing". In fact, I don't know anyone who works full-time in trade publishing who uses "traditional pubilshing".
Please note that it's not been suggested here that you and/or Zharmae is "out to scam anyone": we're just discussing whether or not Zharmae would be a good choice for writers.
I'm very wary when publishers make repeated errors in grammar and punctuation. It has big implications regarding the quality of the editing that they provide.
What distribution do your books have? I don't mean "have you got them into all the usual online retailers which accept anything with an ISBN"; I mean full distribution using the established trade publishing definition.
Advances are good.
My bold. I don't understand this: first you acquire rights to publish a book and then you license those same rights? Sorry, that doesn't make sense. I'm probably misreading this: could you clarify?
Also, why do you want "full IP rights"? I can see why you'd want print rights and digital rights too: but "Dramatic rights"? What exactly do you mean by that? And how do you have the expertise to exploit those rights and all the others you're acquiring appropriately?
So it's not a breach of your staff's privacy to put on your website that they have a whole bunch of experience which has no relevance to their jobs in publishing, but it is a breach to show that they're experienced, knowledgeable and capable? I think you've been wrongly informed here.
I'm afraid I see nothing on your website which would make me want to submit my work to you. I see a startup publisher without proper experience or understanding of publishing, with poorly-written copy full of grammar and punctuation errors.
If you want to appear more professional then get your website completely rewritten, and edit that writing properly. Correct those mistakes. And show that you know what you're doing by being open with your publishing experience.
ETA: I just took a quick look at your website. There's a spelling mistake in the first paragraph of the blurb for Ends Of Man, and it's confusing too. You might want to correct that.
I would expect nothing less. I have a very thick skin, I deal with business men all day who want their egos worshiped before forking over investment money for TZPP, you're far sweeter.
Trade publisher versus traditional publisher is a matter of words, we're both meaning the same thing, its a void issue. We both mean to distinguish from a subsidy publisher.
Perhaps the best place to determine whether or not Zharmae is a good place for writers is to contact the writers that are working with us. They would be able to give you first hand knowledge about our processes and how they have enjoyed or not their time with us. I'm biased, but I do believe that TZPP is a great house for authors to work with.
I apologize that my Assistants are not able to look over my work right now while these response are going out, I have a terrible habit with typos. I do not generally directly engage in the editing. Anna and Christine do. I handle all of the other aspects of the title development that goes into producing a book as well as all aspects of running a company. Our website is monitored for grammar, punctuation, and other errors on our website with even stricter controls in place during the edits and revisions phases.
I have based on your concerns gone back over those areas you had noted, and I'm sorry to say that you are mistaken in errors raised.
BookMasters Group handles our distribution domestically and in Canada.
Advances are a good thing. And we pay them on all contracts.
IP rights encompass a vast amount of areas, these include the right to print the titles yes, but may also include the right to reprint the title in a foreign language, the right to print the title as an audio book, the right to print the title as an abridgment, the right to print the title in a book club, the right to have the title produced as a motion picture, the right to turn the characters, etc. into merchandise. We acquire and license these rights because we only publish in Trade Paperback and E-book format. Hardback format is reserved for special editions.
I have a number of friends in business and we collectively have the connections to ensure that these deals are made, and are secured in the authors best interest.
I can't and won't speak for my employees. I come from a business background. I worked as Audit Assistant for a Research Firm based in Bellevue, WA that as behind in their audits 5 years through a series of M&As, decided I didn't like that so I joined the Army to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Worked with the Army as a Paralegal, and deployed to Afghanistan. Started TZPP in December 2010. I have been developing and running the house ever since. I have a BS in Social Science from UIW.
I have been very careful to take on individuals especially in the editorial and reading (acquisitions) departments that have strong literary degrees and experience, many write themselves and have gone through the professional writing process and understand the intricacies.
I do hope that I have been able to answer some of your questions.
