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[Publisher] Literary Wanderlust

robjvargas

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http://www.literarywanderlust.com/

Anyone heard of them? They seem new. Didn't find a thread on them. No books or authors on those respective pages on their site.

No names on the About Us page, but there are names on the Contact page. I didn't locate anyone with those names who cited this publisher in their profiles. A very brief check on Amazon found nothing.
 

Cassie Knight

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Hi all!
Susan Brooks, the publisher, is a friend of mine and I told her that she's reached AW and she immediately came to join (how did she not already know about this group? :)) but until she's approved, I offered to post this for her. She will be back later to answer your questions. I told her to be prepared. :)


"Hi Robjvaras,

Literary Wanderlust is a new traditional publishing house that opened on October 1st. We pay royalties on sales in both digital and print as well as audiobooks and sub rights. Our staff consists of publishing and writing professionals several with over 5 years of experience at other publishing houses. We have a 6 month marketing plan for each book we publish because we release our titles only twice a year, with our first title to be released May 1st, 2015.

Susan Brooks
Publisher
[email protected] "
 

aleighrose

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They ask for a promotional plan to be sent along with your ms (i.e. They leave marketing up to you). Unless you happen to be a savvy advertiser, I don't think it's worth it to submit to them. They have no books and no name recognition; combine that with no marketing and it seems unlikely that your book would sell (again, unless you are a scary-good market strategist).
 
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CheG

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Indie publishers generally DON'T have the money to market, so the fact that promotion is dependent on the author does not surprise me. That's not really a reason NOT to submit.

Time will tell about the press though. It's too new to judge yet.
 
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mrsmig

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The website seemed to be geared partly toward readers but mostly toward writers. I also have questions about their pay scale, found in the About Us section:

We pay our authors 15% royalties for novels, 10% royalties for histories and researched topics, and provide nominal compensation for short stories contracted for anthologies.

It would be good to know how the royalties are computed - on gross profits, or net? And if it's on net profits, how is that defined?

A range for "nominal compensation" would be good, too. For example, is nominal $10-20, or $50-$100?
 
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BarbaraSheridan

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@CassieKnight Before Susan gets here can you let her know that for a prospective author it might be wise to have the "About Us" page should really say something about the people running things.

Our staff consists of publishing and writing professionals several with over 5 years of experience at other publishing houses.

I'd like a few specifics on the above and I'm sure others would as well.
 

oosuzieq

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Hi Barbara,
Based upon the comments here at AW we are going to add staff bios to our website. We expect to have those up soon.

About me: I have a master's degree in publishing from George Washington University, as does the marketing director. I have worked for other publishing houses for several years and have done everything from acquisitions to editor-in-chief. I have also been a developmental editor for somewhere in the neighborhood of two decades. Our editor-in-chief also has twenty years in the business.

I started LW because I want to publish books that I love. I have seen great books get passed by for reasons I understand, but didn't agree with, and seen things published that shouldn't have been. Such is the business of publishing.

We have a twice a year publication schedule so that we can do marketing for each book we take on, and we work with the author to also help them market. We want relationships with our authors that are long lasting. We believe that this will create the best possible success. Also, we won't publish just to publish and get product out. We would rather put the work into each project and publish quality books. And if this means that we publish less books, so be it.

I hope that helps.

Susan Brooks
Publisher
Literary Wanderlust
 

oosuzieq

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Hi,
we pay royalties on gross receipts. The nominal compensation for short stories are calculated based upon the number of stories in any given anthology. It's a small percentage of sales.

I hope that helps.

Sincerely,
Susan Brooks
Publisher
Literary Wanderlust

The website seemed to be geared partly toward readers but mostly toward writers. I also have questions about their pay scale, found in the About Us section:

We pay our authors 15% royalties for novels, 10% royalties for histories and researched topics, and provide nominal compensation for short stories contracted for anthologies.

It would be good to know how the royalties are computed - on gross profits, or net? And if it's on net profits, how is that defined?

A range for "nominal compensation" would be good, too. For example, is nominal $10-20, or $50-$100?
 

Cassie Knight

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Submission Call

Hi all,

Because my friend keeps forgetting to come on here and share :) I thought I would. She has a call for submissions:

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Erotic Romance Short Fiction
Literary Wanderlust seeks to publish an anthology of short stories, maximum 2,500 words, from both emerging and established writers. Submit original unpublished works. The theme is food and sex: The need for food and sex is encoded in our DNA. Eating is not just a sensory reaction to taste but a necessity for life. Sex is not just a physical exercise but an urgency of the soul. When the two collide with joyous abandon the results are inexplicable ecstasy. Food play should be an integral part of the story.

Deadline: May 30, 2015. Send to: [email protected].

*Author compensation consists of publication, exposure, and e-book.

If you have any questions about this, you can email her at submissions or post here and I'll get them to her (or her over here).
 

oosuzieq

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Call for Submissions!

A Few of Our Favorite Things: A Holiday Anthology
The course of true love can be a bumpy ride, but holidays are perfect for happy endings! Literary Wanderlust, a new publisher of well-written, high-quality fiction, is seeking holiday romance stories where love conquers all despite the chaos of the holidays for a new anthology.

Winter holiday stories can be tales of Hanukkah joy, Kwanzaa festivity, Christmas bliss, and Yule feasting–or the bitterness and sadness of the holidays, but all stories should be romantic and have a happily-ever-after. Stories may be enchanting, funny, romantic, or erotic. Some ideas are: childhood memories, family gatherings and traditions, humorous stories, holiday adventures, heartwarming moments, difficult times, shopping, pageants and parades. They can be set in the present time, in Regency England or among the stars.

Guidelines (these are only for the holiday-themed submissions. All others follow regular guidelines):

· Submission word count: 10-18k
· Previously published okay only if all rights returned and submission is not available online.
· Token Payment: $30 per accepted story.

  • Double-spaced
  • Times New Roman, 12 pt. font
  • Send as an attachment with Holiday Anthology: Manuscript Title in the Subject line
  • Include a cover letter in the body of the email

To submit, please send your completed manuscript to [email protected] by July 31, 2015.

All submissions will be reviewed and final decision made by August 15, 2015.

For questions about this call for submissions, please email [email protected]

*permission to forward granted*
 

Michele Mills

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They were active on #PitMad today. Anyone had any dealings with them since they opened in 2014?

I saw that too! One of the ms I pitched on #PitMad today was "liked" by an editor from Literary Wanderlust. I'd never heard of them before and came on here to try and get info...:)
 

StephLondon

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Same here! Would love to know some more information on actual dealings with them.... Worried that they only have about a 100 or less followers on their Twitter...
 

oosuzieq

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Hi all,
I got a message from a friend that you were asking about LWL. We are definitely a slow growing publishing house. There are a few reasons. One is that we don't just contract anything we can get and throw it up as an ebook. We contract books we like, we edit them, we work with our cover designers, and we work with our marketing team, and we work with our authors. Our goal is that we are successful and we want our authors to be successful. There are no guarantees, of course, but we do our best. We believe that the publisher / author relationship is important for success.

About me, I have been on the board of directors for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers since 2009, and one of my passions is teaching the craft of writing fiction. I have a MA in publishing from George Washington University. Our team includes publishing and marketing professionals. So, yes, we are small, and slow growing, but we feel it is important to build a foundation that works.

Does that help?
 

bapeery

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Any updates for working with Literary Wanderlust as of 2019? I had looked into them previously, and one of their acquiring editors happened to "like" my SFFpitch. Any news?
 

triceretops

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I don't often see a degree in publishing from small press circles. That's a cap feather. The only other publisher I've seen with a university degree in publishing is with my SF house, Engage. Not to say that they're not out there, but I do like to see it, plus any other related experience or OJT.
 

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Just got an offer to publish with them. I'm a new author but am wondering if anyone has more info on them. No advance in the letter, want to know if that is normal
 

triceretops

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Just got an offer to publish with them. I'm a new author but am wondering if anyone has more info on them. No advance in the letter, want to know if that is normal

No advance in the letter from a smaller press is quite normal. Most just don't have the funds to risk, even if they think it might be a breakout. They'll usually tout higher royalties in favor of an advance up front. It tis what it tis in this bis.
 

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Greetings.

I just wrote to Literary Wanderlust about who does their distribution, and someone in marketing answered:

We distribute through Ingram.
Regards,
Literary Wanderlust
 

C Alberts

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Greetings.

I just wrote to Literary Wanderlust about who does their distribution, and someone in marketing answered:

We distribute through Ingram.
Regards,
Literary Wanderlust

I just checked - their books are available through Ingram's wholesale operation. The good news is that they are listed with a standard discount. The bad news is that they are listed as nonreturnable (returnable is industry standard).


Generally speaking, "distribution" implies something different than wholesale. Distribution implies sales & marketing - there are a variety of distributors that represent small publishers. In fact, Ingram has a full-service distribution arm called Ingram Publisher Services (IPS) but Literary Wanderlust is not part of that.

It may sound like I'm being picky with the wholesale vs distribution thing, but it makes a huge difference. Ingram wholesale carries hundreds of thousands of different titles (if not millions?) and bookstores pretty much need to know what book they are looking for to find it in their database. Without a sales force or other effective marketing to stores, no bookstore buyer will just come across these titles and decide to order them. Not trying to harsh on this publisher, by the way. The fact that they offer a standard discount is better than a lot of new publishers this size, and if a customer wants a store to special order one of their books they wouldn't have a problem getting it. Just want to make sure that no one assumes that they have full distribution with Ingram.
 
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Woollybear

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Submission rules are currently first three chapters, and no marketing plan is requested anymore, and all of it through an online form (query manager, I think).

There are about a half dozen acquiring editors now. The group's twitter feed includes kudos for Past Presence, a recent release which appears to be doing quite well.
 

bryvin

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I was excited that one of their acquiring editors liked a #PitMad pitch of mine and to submit my novel to them. I'm also very impressed with their eye-catching book covers. As of my submission, query manager says their typical response is six-to-eight weeks. For a small publisher, they do seem to have a handle on what they're doing.