They have on thei
r website the following statement of what they expect from authors:
Your Commitment to Familius:
- Authors will seek to understand the Familius mission and provide content that aligns with its vision.
- Authors will engage with our editorial and design teams to refine the manuscript and prepare the book for print.
- Authors will be professional, courteous, and helpful team players as they work with Familius to make the best book possible.
- Authors will fully participate in marketing and promoting the book after publication.
- Authors will join with us in our mission to help families be happy by actively looking for opportunities to talk about their message and their book.
The first 3 seem reasonable enough, but I wonder about the wording in the last two. Does anyone have an opinion?
The last two seem weird to me. I also think it's weird that they request that all authors include a market analysis, which I believe are typically reserved for non-fiction books.
At the same time, I don't necessarily think they're red flags. There is nothing else on the site to worry me, so I'm willing to excuse those elements as quirks. I don't really get the whole "books helping a family be happy" thing, but I understand that it's part of their branding and they might have some strange wording on their website to support that brand.
On a positive note, I'm impressed with their covers, and I'm someone who's incredibly picky about covers. Their website is oriented toward readers, which is good.
Regarding sales: none of their books seem to stand out sales-wise. It doesn't seem like a place to go to become a bestseller. A few of their authors seem to have established a decent reach, though, so it just depends on your goals.
Per Helix' post, the owner used to be CEO of publisher Gibb Smith, so he has some publishing experience.
You asked if they are a POD publisher. I don't think they're a POD publisher in the sense that you pay them to print your book; my understanding is that you will never be charged by them for anything at any time, which is how it should be. However, as a digital-first publisher, they may utilize POD systems to get their printed books created.
They look decent as a publisher to me. I may consider querying them with one of my MG novels in the future. If you reach out to them, please report back about your experiences. It will be difficult to get a more accurate judgment without interfacing with the company directly.