4 Down, 496 Left to Go / 7 Standards for Publishers

Last night I launched my first Publishizer campaign. I received four pre-orders ranging from $8 to $45. I thought that was good night, but my experience selling online is with jewelry, not books. When selling on Etsy, I was thrilled if I had four orders in one evening.

While I’m happy with the orders I have so far, and really appreciate the support people have shown, I still have a long way to go. My goal is to get 500 orders by August 8th since that is what I need in order for  Publishizer  to query my book to top, traditional publishers publishers. I’d be completely happy with an offer from a small or indie press too.  Publishizer queries them when I hit 250 pre-orders.

However, I will not take an offer from “service” or “hybrid” publishers.

I tried to publish a book with a hybrid publisher last year. They got me really excited, but by book never even went to edits. Its been almost a year since I heard from anyone at that company and I’m not sure they even still exist. The best I can hope for is that they forget about me, so  when my contract expires I can try publishing the book elsewhere.

A bad experience is not the only reason I’m avoiding hybrids, though. From what I understand, they use print on demand and other self-publishing methods. Yes, they edit for you, design a cover and do some minimal marketing, but they are also taking a large chunk of the sales. They’re not saving writers any money.

I suppose if one knows nothing about editing or cover design, and has no platform a hybrid or service publisher might bel helpful. For me, not so much. I already have a cover for my book. I have a platform. I even have an editor. What I don’t have is a giant network of Facebook friends willing to throw their money at me. I need a publisher that is going to get my book in the hands people I’ve never met before, one that will expose me to new readers.

I value my writing. I want to build a career off of it. I need to be selective about who publishes my work. After spending some time in Absolute Write’s Bewares, Background Check and Recommendations forum, I’ve come with a seven criteria any publisher I sign with must meet:

1. The publisher must not charge the writer anything, ever.
2. The publisher must provide multiple rounds of professional editing.
3. The publisher must market my book in ways I cannot do on my own.
4. The owner, editors, PR people and designers should have prior experience in publishing.
5. The website must be geared towards readers, not perspective writers.
6. The covers must be beautiful and professionally designed.
7. The books for sale must have decent amazon rankings and reviews.

My campaign with Publishizer is a new adventure for me — a new path through the publishing word — but I will still hold any offers I get to the same standards as any I get through more traditional methods. If I get under 50 pre-orders, I do have the option to refund my readers. If I get more than 50, but do not get any offers I approve of, then this will turn into my first experience with self-publishing.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed my post and want to support my writing journey, please pre-order Earth Reclaimed at https://publishizer.com/earth-reclaimed/