Vine Leaves Press

[alaktas]

Greetings,

www.vineleavespress.com

Has anyone had any experience with Vine Leaves Press?

Based on what is shown at the bottom of their webpage, it appears as though they are operating out of Australia and Greece? It seems a little fishy to me and it's making me think twice about sending a submission to them. But nonetheless I am curious if anyone here has any firsthand experience dealing with them.

Thanks

 

[Fruitbat]

I've only known them as a small litmag that publishes short vignettes. Okay, I see they've branched out into book publishing. But they only have a few authors and one of them is the publisher herself. There's nothing exactly wrong with a micro-press but it's not at all a given that they can do any more for you than you can do yourself by self-publishing. So, if I were you I'd first try for larger, more established presses. And if that doesn't work out, consider if the book is ready for publication and/or why you think you'd be better off working with a micro-press than going it alone.

 

[mrsmig]

Their covers are really nice, but none of the books I looked for on Amazon had the "Look Inside" feature, so there's no way of knowing how the editing is - short of buying the book. And then there's this, from their submission page.

It's free to submit, and you will receive a 50% net royalty on all eBook and print sales.

If you decide to submit and are offered a contract, please make sure you get a clear definition of what constitutes "net." Here's a good Writer Beware column on the pitfalls of this kind of royalty agreement.

 

[CarmenB]

Hi all!

It's Jessica Bell here, Vine Leaves Press publisher. The reason it operates out of two countries is because I am an Australian who lives in Greece. The company is registered in Australia. But I work from Greece at the moment.

Re checking the editing, I can guarantee it's top quality. I have worked as a writer and editor (and still do) for major publishing houses since 2005 (my bio is on the website). You could also always download a free Kindle sample from Amazon to have a look. For anyone who is interested, we are also happy to provide a sample of a paperback proof. All you have to do is email us and ask.

Yes, we are only small right now. But we are totally and utterly dedicated and intend to grow. We have twelve books lined up to be published this year, and a fabulous development and editorial team in place. We will do everything we can re marketing. Of course, it's not in our budget to do what most traditional publishers do, but we honestly do everything possible to get our books into the hands of readers.

Also, we treat writers extremely well! Dawn and I are also writers, so we are able to see things from your perspective, as well as from a publisher's perspective, which I think is very important. We also work very closely with our authors so that they get a product they are totally happy with. We don't just produce their books without their input.

Re the "net royalties". If you're thinking that this means we pay you once we've received our money back on what we spent to produce your book, that's incorrect. We provide a sample contract on our website for authors to look at. You can find the link to that in the second sentence on this page: http://www.vineleavespress.com/submissions.html. There are no hidden/confusing clauses--a very easy to understand contract. Here is what it states in the contract re net royalties:

*Net means the total net publisher compensation after retailers, printers, and distributors have taken their percentage. For example, a 140-page paperback sold at $14.99 AUD, receives 4.88 net publisher compensation after a 40% retailer discount and a $4.11 printing and distribution charge. The author would therefore receive approx $2.44 per paperback sold at $14.99.

Hope this helps! If you have any further queries I'd be happy to answer them via email at [email protected]. Or, if you like, we can continue the discussion here so that others looking for information about us can see my answers too.

Cheers!

 

[eqb]

Hi Jessica. Thanks for coming here to answer questions.

So for print books you subtract the retailer discount *plus* two specific expenses (printing and distribution charges).

How do you calculate net for e-books?

 

[CarmenB]

How do you calculate net for e-books?

There are no charges there except from the distributor. We are paid 70% of list price from Kindle, and 40% of list price from other retailers. So we give you 50% of whatever is paid to us.

 

[writera]

No information on them here in the last 8 years but they're still in business all these years later, which must be a good sign. Their covers are absolutely beautiful, stunning in fact. I submitted to them in the past and they rejected me. Not sure how good a publisher they actually are (but again they must be doing relatively well to still be trucking along?) - it was the covers that swayed me more than anything! Their website is nice too. Jessica Bell (the woman who runs the company) does cover design on commission. I would probably submit to them again (but I'd look into them more first this time) and I would also consider hiring her to design a cover for me if I ever decided to self-publish.

 

[Unimportant]

I parsed that all wrong, as in "Elvis leaves the building"! But I like how they specialise in their area of expertise, and their covers are indeed attractive (just on the cover and title I want to read "The Girl Who Taught Herself To Fly".)

 

[Gramps]

I can’t even teach myself not to gerund.

 

[mccardey]

I like how they specialise in their area of expertise, and their covers are indeed attractive (just on the cover and title I want to read "The Girl Who Taught Herself To Fly".)

Their covers are lovely, and their author pics are also lovely - which means they're really nailing the stable branding. If I was looking for a publisher, I'd certainly have them on the list.

ETA: Although, to be fair, they might already have all the white they need...

 

[Houdini]

Regarding Vine Leaves Press: I am an author and I submitted to them without knowing anyone involved with the publisher and they selected my novel for publication. There was a que...about two years after which they took the work through a several month process of editing and also allowed my input for thought about cover design. They produced several memes that they are using for social media tied in with the launch which will occur March 26th. Unmasking myself, the novel is Houdini's Last Handcuffs.

They publish about 25-30 books per year at this point so I feel extremely fortunate to have my work selected. Working with them has been a delight. They also have a private Facebook group for their authors and staff (many who are voluntary). All have been helpful answering questions and being supportive of one another for ideas of getting your book through the hoops and what may work best for a successful launch.

I can vouch for their being a reputable publisher.

 

[writera]

Regarding Vine Leaves Press: I am an author and I submitted to them without knowing anyone involved with the publisher and they selected my novel for publication. There was a que...about two years after which they took the work through a several month process of editing and also allowed my input for thought about cover design. They produced several memes that they are using for social media tied in with the launch which will occur March 26th. Unmasking myself, the novel is Houdini's Last Handcuffs.

They publish about 25-30 books per year at this point so I feel extremely fortunate to have my work selected. Working with them has been a delight. They also have a private Facebook group for their authors and staff (many who are voluntary). All have been helpful answering questions and being supportive of one another for ideas of getting your book through the hoops and what may work best for a successful launch.

I can vouch for their being a reputable publisher.

That's great news! Congratulations. Long wait, though, from acceptance to editing? It was 2 years before you even got to the editing and then how long to publish - what was the total wait? I suppose if it was 2 years total it's still a bit on the long side, but not unheard of (though maybe more unusual with a small press?). Still, they do seem selective and they produce beautiful books so I'm very happy you got a deal and you seem pleased overall, which is all that matters. Congrats again.

 

[Brigid Barry]

They also have a private Facebook group for their authors and staff (many who are voluntary).

Did you mean that they have staff that are volunteers?