Focused but very small publisher vs. established small press

semantica

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I have two offers of publications for my fantasy novel and not much time to decide.

One of the publishers was created in 2012. They're very small, with under 10 books, but they're laser-focused on Fantasy and they love that I have a series to sell. The other one is an established small press, but they're focused on Romance (think Entangled/Wild Press), and they couldn't care less if it's a series. In fact, if I publish with them, I'll have to remove all book 2 references and cliffhangers from book one (which is doable, the book is self-contained), and there's always the chance they won't publish the rest of the series.

So... any suggestions? I'm torn!
 

mrsmig

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It boils down to what each publisher can offer. Here are some questions to ask before you sign anything.

Does either publisher offer an advance?

What is the royalty split?

Does either publisher pay royalties based on net? (Meaning, do they deduct any of their operating expenses from profits before calculating royalties? This is always a red flag. Good publishers will not try to claw back their expenses by deducting them from your royalties.)

What rights do they take? They should only be interested in the rights they can use; i.e. print, ebook and possibly audio books.

What is the term of the contract? Three years? Six years? In perpetuity?

Is there a solid rights reversion clause in the contract?

I am assuming you're working without an agent. If you don't understand any of the above questions, get someone who's versed in publishing law to look over your contract before you sign anything. And do not let a publisher push you into a decision before you've thoroughly vetted the contract.
 
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semantica

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For the sake of the argument, let's assume they contracts are similar. No advance. The very small one pays a bit more but won't do an audio book unless the book sells a number of copies, but the established small press promised an audio book regardless.
At this point, I'm more interested in reaching the right/largest readership than getting more or less money from it.
 

mrsmig

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Okay - another set of questions, then.

Have you ever seen books from either publisher in a brick and mortar store?

Have you compared sales rankings for books from each publisher on Amazon?

What kind of promotion does each publisher offer? Do they advertise, or are they solely reliant on social media? If the latter, what do their social media numbers look like? Do they have reviews of their books on sites which fantasy readers frequent?
 
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semantica

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Neither does brick and mortar. As for sales ranking, I checked one recent book from each, and they have similar rankings, although the established one is in the Romance category. Is there a better place to go to compare publishers?
The covers for the smaller press are below par, though.

I don't know how they promote their books, and I have no idea where fantasy readers go. As a fantasy reader myself, I always did everything on Amazon. Or reddit, but there they usually discuss national best sellers from the big 5.
 

mrsmig

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Since they don't have brick and mortar distribution, they are probably reliant on social media to get the word out about their books. I'd suggest you check both Facebook and Twitter to see if they have accounts, how many friends/followers they have, and how active the accounts are.

I'd also suggest, if you haven't already, that you look at the Index page for AW's Bewares, Recommendations & Background Checks subforum and see if either publisher has a thread. If a thread exists, give it a read and see what you can glean from it.
 

KMTolan

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Been with a small publisher (Champagne Books) for some time. As was pointed out, it's all about what the publisher can do for you. A larger press often carries with it a readership, so you have that going for you over someone who put out only a handful of books. Compare the artwork between the two candidates. Their distribution and whether or not both do POD. How did their books do on Amazon was a great suggestion. Hope this helps.
 

WeaselFire

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I'm assuming you went straight to publishers and skipped an agent or you wouldn't be asking these questions. I'm also assuming you're willing to accept that neither publisher will garner you a significant number of sales or income. If the contracts are identical, or at least balanced in your specific requirements, then my option would be whichever I believed could maximize my sales and income. But that's me, not all authors write for the money.

Otherwise, I tend to favor the one that has the longevity, or at least the prospect of longevity. Worst thing is a one-man shop and the owner is smushed by a runaway beer truck. Best is a larger shop with proven track record, even if they are only starting in your genre.

Starting in 2012 with ten books in a catalog is only two books a year at best. Not a good financial record unless it has stellar sales income from those books. Not doing audio is understandable, it costs much more to produce than an ebook and a small amount more than a printed book.

Yup, my choices would be, in order:

1) Go back and submit to agents.
2) Romance company.
3) Laser focused company.

Be very careful on the contracts and make sure they are legit organizations.

Jeff