Filles Vertes Publishing

My French is very rusty but doesn't their name translate roughly as "immature girls" ?

Actually it translates to "The Green Girls".

the bunny hugger said:

My French is very rusty but doesn't their name translate roughly as "immature girls" ?

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I mean in colloquial usage. But as I said, my French is not great.

In colloquial English, 'green' is used in the sense of 'new, fresh, immature, just starting', adjusted to suit the circumstances. 'He's just a green kid'. Old West 'Greenhorn'.

Hi all,

I got a fave on PitMad from this publisher. Does anyone have any recent information or stories?

Thanks!

DarienW said:

Hi all,

I got a fave on PitMad from this publisher. Does anyone have any recent information or stories?

Thanks!

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I subbed to them, then received a request for a full several months back, and just recently, they replied with a polite form rejection. While waiting to hear, I took the time to read their first release, The Pitcher Plant. It was well edited and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a fun, quick read.

Thanks so much for weighing in, D.Owcsarek. The vibe I've gotten from them reading this post seems better than the other two, though NineStar Press seems very LGBT positive. I was lucky to get an agent fave and sent that off, but I'm not against a smaller publisher.

I'm looking forward to the torture of waiting months. Good to know you liked their title, and sorry it didn't work out for you.

Best wishes!

DarienW - good luck with getting an agent! That would be best case. I had an agent for this MS, but we parted ways after she had already subbed it to the bigger pubs, so now I am submitting to small pubs on my own. I'm going to try again to get a new agent when I finish my WIP.

Thanks for this info, I also just got asked for a partial and sent it in. I like their art direction for The Pitcher Plant, and it seems like they do take a lot of time with their authors marketing plans.

Does anyone know their royalty percentage? All I see on their FAQ is "We currently pay in royalties. And again, we do not charge for publishing."

Hmmm, they fave'd my Twitter pitches during Pitmad and DvPit but I decided not to submit bc I'm seeking agent rep. But I'll look into them if there are no takers for this book.

​

Well I have just sold my Middle Grade novel "The Bird Fairies" to Filles Vertes. After the R&R I edited the manuscript again and resubmitted in July. Earlier this month I received an email that that they wanted to talk in person and we went into contract negotiations. I had to do it myself, as I don't have an agent but they were flexible on several points and clarified a few for me which was very nice. Communication has been very good so far too.

That's wonderful, Che! I look forward to seeing it.

I've just read the staff page. Does anyone at that entire company have any relevant experience, not counting freelance editing and being English majors? As far as I can tell, the sum total of their hands-on experience in the publishing industry is that one person was an intern at a literary agency.

I'm sure they're all very nice people who are passionate about literature and eager to help new writers, but agenting isn't an entry-level job and I can't see that publishing is either.

Being an English major doesn't have much, at all, to do with publishing. That's not a credential.

I can say that their editing process has been very good. I did a first round of content edits. Then a second round of line edits. And now my book is going to copy edits. They are much more thorough than my other small press.

They also seem to slowly but consistently release titles so that each title gets a nice launch and some marketing attention. I have seen many small presses fold under the weight of an onslaught of releases which don't sell. Of course only time will tell if they can sustain themselves in an ever changing publishing jungle. But they seem to be fairly strategic.

And communication continues to be good.

Good luck with your book, CheG! I queried FVP a couple months ago. Nudged as per guidelines, but still no response.

I’d like to take a moment and share the fantastic experience I have had with Filles Vertes Publishing (FVP) publishing my historical thriller, Apricots and Wolfsbane (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36194389)

I was very fortune to have two publishing offers and one serious R&R from my first five queries. I ended up selecting Filles Vertes Publishing because I fell in love with Myra’s developmental edit ideas for my manuscript (I had won a free 50-page critique at their release party; Myra is the owner of FVP.) From those edits I knew we shared the same creative vision for my book and that was very important to me.

Because of that experience, I felt comfortable taking a risk with a new publisher and I am so glad that I did.

I knew I wanted to publish with a small press because I wanted to be involved in the book design and development. I appreciate the investment FVP made to give me fantastic, original cover art (which recently won a cover war). I even got to work with the artist! I was also able to provide input to the book design, fonts, and layout. The editing process was comprehensive and helped add layers to the story and improve the work. I worked with three different editors and also received six beta reviews from interns.

My contract is amazing. I had final approval over the text and I kept all rights FVP is not using. My royalties are quite favorable compared to my other small-author friends, and my sales are on par or exceeding theirs. FVP has worked to provide marketing avenues for my book and helped me enter several book contests/festivals. My book is available through Ingram which is critical for getting into bookstores.

All of that should be expected from a publisher, but the staff at FVP is personally invested in their books and go well beyond. When Ingram had issues getting books to a bookstore for one of my signings, Myra personally rushed shipped me a set of books for the event. One of the editors recently stayed up late with me constantly refreshing webpages as we waiting for a book award announcement. It is the little, personal, above-and-beyond love that makes FVP so unique from other small publishers.

Yes, FVP is new and there has been some learning along the way from myself and the team (I was the second book published). They are slowly building their presence and distribution connections which will increase book sales to come. The fact they just signed a memoir from 16 celebrity musicians is a testament to their upward trajectory. I can’t wait to see what FVP does in the future and feel honored to be a part of their story. If you’re unsure of submitting to FVP, I strongly encourage you to give them a try.

I would also be happy to answer any questions at @KMPohlkamp or www.kmpohlkamp.com.

Hi AW Users,

I wanted to come on and just leave a quick post that I have resigned my position as Acquisitions Editor with FVP for personal reasons.

I'll be cheering everyone on while working on new things for myself and my career.

Good luck wonderful writers!

Many Thanks,
CL

Received a request for my full manuscript... Came with the caution that it might take 90 days for them to read and respond. Good thing I have another project to focus on in the meantime.

90 days has come and gone. No response to the nudge I sent... So I don't know.

From here https://www.fillesvertespublishing.com/blog/2018/04/22/6-publishing-myths/

Myth #3: A publishing contract ends when we mutually decide it does, and/or contract length is negotiable.

No. The length of a publishing contract is typically the author’s life plus seventy years. This is standard. Small presses are not trying to pull one over on you. And if the contract could be dissolved at any time, you could pull out and head elsewhere with a fully-finished book that your publisher put a lot of time and money into, before they’ve earned back their investment. We like to believe that nobody would do that, but…

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If this is saying what I think it's saying, then I need to have a cup of tea.

Scythian said:

From here https://www.fillesvertespublishing.com/blog/2018/04/22/6-publishing-myths/

Myth #3: A publishing contract ends when we mutually decide it does, and/or contract length is negotiable.

No. The length of a publishing contract is typically the author’s life plus seventy years. This is standard. Small presses are not trying to pull one over on you. And if the contract could be dissolved at any time, you could pull out and head elsewhere with a fully-finished book that your publisher put a lot of time and money into, before they’ve earned back their investment. We like to believe that nobody would do that, but…

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If this is saying what I think it's saying, then I need to have a cup of tea.

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Does... my god, does this person not understand the difference between copyright and contract life?

This is by their acquisitions editor.

That's terrifying.

Maggie Maxwell said:

Does... my god, does this person not understand the difference between copyright and contract life?

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Exactly. My contracts usually say they run for "life of copyright", but they ALSO include a clause that spells out when the author can get a reversion of those rights.

I'd also add that plenty of small press publishers don't use life of copyright, but a fixed number of years, with options for extending/ending the contract.

Still no response to nudges. They've had my full since early May. I sure would appreciate hearing either "we need more time" or "it's not for us." Feels like that's the least they could do.