Brainstorming
Today I am thrilled, proud and downright giddy to announce the launch of a new venture: She Writes Press.
About six months ago, Brooke Warner, formerly the Executive Editor of Seal Press (one of my favorite presses, by the way), came to me with an idea. What if, she asked, we started a press for authors who want to try their hand at publishing outside the traditional system, but who also want to be part of a high-quality, curated imprint? And what if we started this press as a an offshoot of the She Writes community, so its authors could leverage the support, networks, and knowledge of She Writers from all over the world? Authors would pay She Writes Press to edit, print and distribute their work, but She Writes Press would not publish anything that wasn't up to a high, "She Writes-y" standard.
Best of both worlds, right?
I said I was on sabbatical. Then I said I would think about it.
And think about it I did, even as I was diving more deeply into the writing of my book. I started to think: when my novel is finished, do I want to shop it around to publishers who will most likely give me a small advance, take all but 7.5% of the net profits from paperback sales (mine is not a hardcover sort of book), and, in return, frustrate me to no end by relying on ME to do all the hard work of promotion? Having spent some time trying to raise venture capital for a business idea associated with She Writes, I know that no entrepreneur would ever give away such a huge percentage of her idea for so little in return. And I was having a hard time imagining myself doing the same. I know publishers care deeply about books; I know some authors get the kind of publicity and support that makes the tradeoff worth making. I also know that for some authors, laying out capital from the beginning just isn't possible. (More on that in a minute.) But my experience publishing my first book was more like that of most authors I know: I had to bend over backwards to "sell" my book to people who stood to make a lot more money off it than I ever would...by convincing them that I would do all the work when it came to selling it. And do all the work I did, paying out of my own pocket for a website, an independent publicist, and my own travel as I took my book on the road.
If I'm going to invest so much time and money in my work, why not own and control it? And if I can do it under the She Writes brand, giving my book credibility, and publish it in a supportive, community environment, giving my book reach, why not?
I couldn't think of a good reason.
She Writes Press is not going to be a press for "other people," people who couldn't get a deal with a traditional house (which, these days, seems to have as much to do with pitching yourself to a marketing department as it does with the quality of your work). Like She Writes, which Deborah Siegel and I created because we needed it, I am founding She Writes Press with Brooke because I need it too. And when my novel is done, SWP is where I will go to publish it. That said, SWP won't be the right press for everybody, and She Writes will always be here for ALL women writers, no matter how they choose to publish.
Last but not least...I could never start a venture like this without making sure we found a way to support all authors with books we love, even those without the resources to invest in their books up front. So each year, we will choose one to two projects that we will edit, publish and distribute for free (in the spirit of what we did with The Passion Project).
And now it's time, too, for my sabbatical to end! I will be working on my novel, of course, but I will also be blogging every other week about my adventures in writing it, and Brooke will be blogging every other week too. More on other changes to the SW blog, and additions to our team, coming soon.
If you think She Writes Press might be right for you, please, visit the new site! And please, tell me what you think.
What a great idea. And, you are right about the control. The industry is in chaos and SWB appears to be challenging that. I'm all for it.
Congratulations, this a really awesome idea!
Congratulations on an amazing opportunity that will benefit us all!
Congratulations, both of you! A great idea. I look forward to your posts as
well as to the launch of She Writes books.
-Shelley Buck
very cool idea. Checking out the website now. Linking this vibrant community and the experience of the people involved is a great thing, in my opinion. Best of Luck!
Thank you for doing this. You're an inspiration, Kamy.
For those of you who were asking, I just put the SUBMISSION BUTTON up on the SUBMISSIONS PAGE. Thank you!
@Judith, How nice to see you here, and thank you so so much. I hope to see you again soon!
Hi Brooke, We met when I chaired the "Meet the Agents" gig for the Women's National Book Association last year. I wanted to congratulate you personally on your new venture and wish you much success. SheWrites has a great network of writers and having this new option will be a wonderful opportunity.
Regards,
Judith Marshall
Author of Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever, optioned for the big screen
@Carole, thanks for your kind words about Seal Press. Love to hear that!
@Janet. I want to add to what Kamy said about royalties and pricing for the sake of clarity. SWP will be offering print OR print-on-demand options AND ebook services. We are not offering ebook-only publishing, so the "royalties" look different depending on the scenario. When you publish any ebook you get 70% of your royalties from Amazon or B&N or Apple. SWP will not be offering royalties, but rather quarterly payments based on the net sales of your books minus our fees, which are 20% for printed books, 15% for POD books, and 15% for ebooks. Please also CHECK OUT OUR FAQ link and let me know if there are other questions you have that you feel need to be addressed on the FAQ and I'll add them! Thank you.
EXCELLENT! Congratulations!
Thanks for your response, Kamy. And good luck with the press.
Outstanding!! Big hug and best wishes! Will follow and support you every step of the way. What an incredible learning experience for the She Writes community! Thank you for sharing and including us in your magnificent venture!
This sounds very exciting for you and for the rest of us who will benefit from your burgeoning experience in publishing! I am glad there are people like you and Brooke with mucho moxy!
Ohhh. I see. Visit the website. Doing that now!
This is fantastic! How can we submit? I have one novel ready to go and am working on another...
@Carolyn. Thanks for the well wishes. You can submit directly to Seal Press in Berkeley. Please email me and I'll give you the right contact: brooke [@] shewritespress [dot] com.
I am glad to see this! As Lawrence mentioned below, will save many people from the clutches of iuniverse and I don't mind dissing them! They took my money for nothing, too! I got away and am now self-publishing and it is really so much work and one could use trustworthy help!
Congratulations!
Good for you Brooke. I tried submitting to Seal Press a few months back but everything was being funneled through anouther outfit on the East Coast. I wanted the true Seal Press. Maybe SWP is the best reincarnation. Hope so. Good luck to you and Kamy.
Congratulations! What an amazing adventure! Will be following with avid interest! xxx
@Judith van Praag. I like this take on things!
Well, that way you will not be taken in like companies such as iUniverse. I managed to get away from them and I am now self-published.
That's awesome news Kamy, what a return, reaching your own goal of near completion of your novel and bringing something wonderful back to your community of supporters and sisters. That's not just a good idea, its that wonderful thing called altruism. This will be a grand success, what joy that little seed was planted right when you set off to plunge into your own creative cycle. Can't wait to watch it all unfold. Mille fois merci.
Congrats, Kamy and Brooke! Very exciting news indeed.
MY book is FINALLY almost to the printer. Ta-da! I created my own publishing press, but look forward to using the SW services in the future - will we still be able to use book designing services, etc. if we publish under our imprint? This is the foundational book for a series, so more to come.
So glad to have you back on board, Kamy. I haven't participated much while writing my book, but look forward to doing more with SW soon.
Love, Suz