• Guest please check The Index before starting a thread.

Mithra Publishing

Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Has anyone dealt with Mithra Publishing (in the UK)? They have a contest for new writers to be included as published authors in a worldwide e-book currently titled "My Big Book" project. Each week, they select a new chapter for inclusion. My entry was selected for the next chapter, but I just wondered if there's any feedback on this company. All the usual sites are mum. Thanks!
 

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
19,519
Reaction score
22,755
Location
Aotearoa
Do you mean this Mithra Publishing?

Their website looks to be misleading: they say "Could you join this Hall of Fame?" and have photos of authors like Danielle Steele and JK Rowlings. It implies that those authors are part of Mithra, which is patently not true. (If you click on the photos, it takes you to a Turkish website.)

Their business model is...interesting. They get their revenues not from selling books but from selling advertising space in those books. I'm guessing that if someone was willing to cough up £1200 for a one-page advert in a single ebook title, they wouldn't be too choosy about the product in question. It's not hard to imagine how this could go wrong. Like, say, advertising dildoes in a Christian romance novel.

They don't seem to do much editing, as they say that contracted books get published within two months. They also offer a service where they will convert a manuscript to e-reader format (for £350, which sounds like a lot to me).

What I don't see is any evidence that they know how to publish books or sell them to readers. They only list two authors as being contracted to Mithra, so either they're very slow or very new.
 
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Thanks!

Good to know. Seem to be a new company, but I'm kinda on the fence about their legitimacy. We shall see . . .
 

FoamyRules

Hamtaro Rules
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Messages
396
Reaction score
18
Location
Inside of my mind
Website
www.thetigerseye.valentchamber.com
Unimportant gave the link to the Mithra website, while your link is to the "My Big Book" project you noted in your first post.

Hmmm, I'm not an expert on publishing houses, but like Unimportant, I too was a little confused by the "Could you join this Hall of Fame".
 

Unimportant

No COVID yet. Still masking.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
19,519
Reaction score
22,755
Location
Aotearoa
It looks as if the Big Book Project is under the umbrella of Mithra Publishing and the Sussex Newspaper (which, as far as I can tell, is a website with no real news other than bits and bobs posted by the people who own/work with Mithra Publishing; the Sussex Newspaper and Mithra Publishing webpages are both administered by Kizzi Nkwocha.).

You write a scene and submit it to Mithra. If they like it, they will include it in a book that sounds like the equivalent of Atlanta Nights -- a bunch of authors writing pieces that get wodged together into a novel-length work and called a novel. The authors are not compensated in any way, other than Mithra's claim of "you will be famous".

Personally, I would not want to give my work away to someone who's going to publish it in what could be a disaster of a book.
 

qwerty

exiled Brit
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 9, 2007
Messages
1,076
Reaction score
222
Location
Burgundy
What I don't see is any evidence that they know how to publish books or sell them to readers. They only list two authors as being contracted to Mithra, so either they're very slow or very new.

They are very new this time round, and presumably failed the first time.

According to Company House records http://www.cdrex.com/mithra-publishing-ltd-5733338.html Mithra Publishing Ltd. was Dissolved 11/08/2009 – just eight months after becoming a registered company.

However, what is apparently a new company, Mithra Publishing Limited, became active in November 2011 http://www.cdrex.com/mithra-publishing-limited-7761122.html

NEW KID, I think you are wise to be wary.
 
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Thanks guys!

Knew I could count on you for an honest appraisal. As always, appreciate the input. You're the best!
 

CaoPaux

Mostly Harmless
Staff member
Super Moderator
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 12, 2005
Messages
13,952
Reaction score
1,746
Location
Coastal Desert
No activity after '16.