The new publishing opportunities available to writers in today's market are phenomenal. The gatekeepers, aka agents and editors, no longer have the final say on whether or not a project will find readers. Writers are being published traditionally, and this is great. But they are also finding ways to publish their books with subsidy companies and by self-publishing!
We are excited to welcome, Brooke Warner with She Writes Press. Some of you may recognize her name if you have been a member of the She Writes community or taken advantage of her coaching services. She Writes Press is a new company she has started with Kamy Wicoff, the founder of
SheWrites.com. Brooke took some time to answer questions about the services and opportunities
She Writes Press, a subsidy press, will give to authors. So, take it away, Brooke!
WOW: Welcome, Brooke! There's a lot of buzz going on about your new independent publishing company, She Writes Press. All the interviews and comments I've read about it have writers excited and enthusiastic about the opportunities you are going to provide women writers! So, tell me, how is She Writes Press different than some of the other subsidy publishing companies like Outskirts Press, Inc?Brooke: There are many self-publishing options in the world today, and they vary quite a bit. We consider ourselves to be a hybrid press. MJ Rose of Author Buzz recently told me she considers presses like ours to be co-op publishers. We are offering something unique in the marketplace because we are vetting our books. In order to publish on She Writes Press, your manuscript has to be up to industry standard, and we have editors and agents vetting our projects. Some writers will qualify to publish with SWP right out of the gate. For those authors who need either developmental editing or copyediting, we present a way to move forward with us for the end goal of publishing with SWP. The other primary thing that sets us apart from other self-publishing companies is our community of writers at SheWrites.com. She Writes Press serves the She Writes community, though you don't have to be a She Writer to publish with us. She Writes Press is mirroring a traditional publishing model. We are offering custom covers and interior design, not templates. We're also giving our authors a team, support, and an opportunity to be part of something bigger. Self-publishing can be a lonely endeavor, and we believe authors will be more successful as a result of having community, resources, and support.
WOW: That is DEFINITELY true--authors need community, resources, and support! It's great to hear that She Writes Press is thinking outside the box and offering writers new opportunities. What type of projects are you looking for to be some of your first books?Brooke: We are accepting submissions across all genres, and we're not trying to specify what can and can't be considered. Our only stipulation is that the authors be female. Other than that, we are doing almost any genre. The only thing we're not doing at the moment are children's books and other high-production art books. Our sweet spot is going to be commercial fiction and memoir just because this is what we see most in our community; but I think we'll also do a lot of literary fiction and prescriptive books as well.
6 Comments on She Writes Press: A New Publishing Opportunity (Interview with Brooke Warner), last added: 7/25/2012
A subsidy publisher takes payment from an author to print and bind a book, but also contributes a portion of the cost and/or provides adjunct services. Some subsidy publishers may be selective and/or screen submissions before committing to publish. Subsidy publishers generally claim at least some rights, though these may be non-exclusive. Completed books and ISBN’s are the property of the subsidy publisher, and remain in the publisher’s possession until sold. Like commercial publishing, authors receive a royalty. Subsidy presses often turn out to be overpriced vanity publishers using artful language to make their services sound more like ‘legit’ publishing.
Pros:
- May contribute a portion of the cost
- May provide adjunct services such as editing, distribution, warehousing, and some degree of marketing
- May be a way to get a book to print faster than through traditional routes.
- Offer more freedom/independence for author than conventional publishers
- May offer web-based sales, or make a book available via online booksellers
Cons:
- Take payment from author to print and bind a book
- Adjunct services are often minimal
- Books are owned by publisher and remain in publisher’s possession, with authors receiving royalties for any copies sold
- Most subsidy publishers keep a portion of the rights
- Authors have little control over production aspects
- Often only distribute to online retailers
- Stigma within industry against vanity and subsidy presses – can result in books not being carried by certain stores or libraries
| On July 23rd, 2009 Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman spoke with book coach, professional freelancer, and author Cheryl Pickett. Her first book Publishing Possibilities: 8 Steps to Understanding Your Options & Choosing the Best Path for Your Book (2009) is specifically designed to help other writers navigate the publishing industry. She educated us about the three major models in her system: traditional, independent, and fee-based/POD/pay to publish. Her approach is goal-directed in narrowing the possibilities to the solution that best fits your publishing needs. We also covered how and when to use an Agent, the importance of establishing a platform, and how your personal style is reflected in which route to publish. |
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| Cheryl Pickett has been writing professionally for almost a decade. She got her start as a freelance writer in 1999 just before the turn of the new millennium. She has well over 120 articles to her credit which have appeared both on and offline in newspapers, ezines a trade magazine and more.A few years ago, she decided she wanted to take her writing in other directions and ultimately combined her life-long love of books with her research and reporting skills. Her personalized, step-by-step approach is unique and empowers new and would-be authors to make solid decisions throughout their publishing journey. You can find out more about Cheryl and Publishing Possibilities by visiting her site PublishingAnswers.com. or her blog publishinganswers.blogspot.com |
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a target=”_blank” href=”http://audio.authorsaccess.com/podcasts/CherylPickett.mp3″>Listen to the PodCast!
| On May 21st, 2009, Irene Watson and Victor R. Volkman interviewed Pete Masterson, veteran book designer, publisher, and owner of Aeonix Publishing Group. We had a wide-ranging discussion of all things vanity press, subsidy publishing, co-publishing, and employing a “self-publishing” company. Key discussion points included: |
- The pros and cons of traditional large or medium sized commercial trade publishers.
- The pros (very few) and cons (many many) of subsidy publishers (or “self-publishing companies” as they’re calling themselves these days).
- Discuss the pros and cons of a do it yourself self-publishing process — with or without help from a book coach, packager, etc.
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| Pete Masterson is the author of Book Design and Production: A Guide for Authors and Publishers. He founded Aeonix Publishing Group in 1997 after having owned a print shop, managed a book oriented typesetting service doing work for large and medium sized publishers, and after managing the publications and graphic production contractor at NASA Ames Research Center.He is a publishing consultant, book designer, and cover designer — he is accepting a limited number of new clients. During his career he pioneered POD production for price list publications at Southern Pacific Railroad, and was an early participant with desk top publishing in a print shop setting. He has supervised production of more than 1000 publications. Currently, he is focusing on sales of his book and in sharing his publishing knowledge with the independent publishing community |
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Listen to the PodCast!
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Hi, just this opportunity that internet offers where we can express ourselves to the world is great step forward, actually one of the most important steps we have seen when it comes to democracy.
Thanks, Brooke, for a great interview! Anyone have any questions?
Great interview! Can't wait to see what She Writes Press has to offer.
Any chance that SWP is hiring editors or proofreaders?
This is exciting news! I have a question for Brooke... what are some causes for rejection?
I want to make sure I submit the right project.
Thanks, Liz
Hi Liz, thanks for the question about rejections. I want to make clear that they're not rejections, but rather assigning authors to different tracks. If your book is a Track 2, you just need a copyedit. The things we're seeing among Track 3 authors are problems of flat writing, lack of character development, structuring problems, sequencing problems, and general plot confusion. We believe, with the help of our editors, that all authors will be able to get their work up to the next level. Our desire is to eventually publish those Track 3 authors too.
SWP is hiring copyeditors and proofreaders. Please submit your cover letter and resume to [email protected]. We are a bit inundated at the moment, so you'll have to give me some time to get back to you, but I will.