losthawken submitted a new resource: Xchyler Publishing - Enhancing lives, one book at a time . . . Read more about this resource...
I've actually been published through this publisher, in one of their short stories. The editors and staff are a pleasure to work with and really brought out the best in my story without losing my voice. You can see the result in 'Shades and Shadows: a Paranormal Anthology' on Amazon.
congrats on being published!... what did they pay for the short story? [this next part is not aimed at you, lh, but at the automatically applied intro] https://www.writingforums.org/threads/trafford-publishing.128310/page-2#post-1156619 ditto my objections to the word 'resource' as stated in that thread... pertinent excerpt:
Excellent question @mammamaia, authors at the X recieve 60% of profits from their book sales and there are no requirements to buy or otherwise invest (with the exception of grass-roots marketing, and prize giveaways for your own book launch). As an author in an anthology I'll receive 1/9th of 60% as the profits must be shared between authors. But, along with acceptance into the anthology I was included into the X's facebook group where I can collaborate and learn from other excellent authors! And now that I'm connected with Xchyler, its something like a 'get out of slush pile free' card for when I pitch my novel to them Along with the line on my resume saying I'm published in a real hardcover book these things are probably worth more than any $ I'll receive from actual sales.
Well, the anthology I am included in just went live on Amazon yesterday. So, no but I'll update you later this year to let you know how it goes. If you are interested in seeing the work the Title is 'Shades and Shadows: a Paranormal Anthology', and my pen name is J. Aurel Guay
what does the 1/9 of 60% of the book price amount to? and are those figures based on retail price, or what?
I don't know how that was unclear. For anthologies, 60% of the profits of book sales will be split between the authors. Novel authors get the full 60%. Short story authoring is a stepping stone, not a career. Is there a problem with this?
apologies for having overlooked 'profits'... if there's no problem for you, then of course there's no problem... i was just wondering what that percentage would amount to in cash to the short story authors and put the question badly... i'd still be interested in knowing how they figure the 'profits' and what amount per book would go to each of the anthology authors...
I wonder at what point the sales receipts begin to represent profit. Does the publisher have to have a return on their costs before the authors receive their loot? Is there a contract? I've never published so I'm curious.
@GHarrison, yup, there's a contract, no there's no 'publisher's return' period. I just dug up my contract out so could be more specific: 'Royalties. The Publisher will pay the Author royalties based upon net sales as reported by the Publisher and their distributors as follows: 60% to author of proceeds of net sales (revenues) recieved by the Publisher through thuird parties (booksellers, distributors, book clubs, external wen sites, etc. or through direct sales by Publisher' There is no 'return on costs' period, they get their return through their 40%. @mammamaia I wouldn't be having this discussion if I didn't have experience with and faith with this publisher. They worked VERY hard with me to get my manuscript into publishable shape. I'm just trying to do both the WF community and the publisher a service by listing them here. If you've had bad experiences with them or see something that puts up red flags I'd be glad to hear it. But, I feel like your continued leading questions about 'real cash' imply distrust for this specific publisher and is defeating my efforts to build up two things that I care very much about. That makes me sad because it will ultimately also discourage others from building up this valuable resource (the publisher list/discussion). I've said that I don't expect much cash out of being included in an anthology, and I have other, non-monetary, motives that I think would be shared by other aspiring authors (i.e. resume building and networking). The novelists I've met at Xchyler seem content to write sequels and trilogies, so I suspect they are coming out on the plus side of cost/benefit. I've given all the specifics about royalties that I can at this time, so lets consider it settled shall we? Actually, I am very interested in what other good independent or otherwise publishers are out there and considering your greater writing experience would really like to see some of the publishers that you know listed here too! Why cast only one net right? I'm curious to know how other publishers work and what other opportunities are out there
I don't doubt that they did. Nor do I doubt their sincerity. And I haven't read your story, so nothing I say has to do with it. But that being said I looked at their books and read the samples, then went to check on the principals of the company. Their editor in chief lists extensive experience in desktop publishing. That means nonfiction, which applies not at all to editing genre fiction. Nor is she published in fiction, so while she might work hard she does not bring real knowledge of the fiction publishing field to the table. None of the assistant editors list experience in editing fiction for a publisher. I mention this because there are errors in the finished product that no one with experience in the field would permit. I looked at the first offering, Shadow of the Last Men, and I'll be kind and say that it's not even close to publishable quality. And bearing that out, it's been on the market since the beginning of August and sales are very poor (as they are for the others I checked. A look inside shows that there are four lines of rather stilted dialog, establishing that some people are walking a road in an unknown place for unknown purpose. That's followed by page after page of info-dump in which absolutely nothing happens in the story. Then we have a flashback. Nothing's happened so far as moving the plot, and we have a flashback? And when that's complete the protagonist in the actual story trips and is helped to his feet. That's it. They walk and he trips. End of chapter and the next chapter starts elsewhere and with different characters. I don't care how sincerely the people from the company tried to make it work, that first chapter is literally a demonstration piece of how to get yourself rejected. That's why I place my vote against them as a viable resource. I don't doubt their sincerity, but I see no professionalism, they have no reputation that would help generate sales, and it looks like the sales are about what you would expect had a given book been self published: friends, coworkers, and family.
Ouch! Well, your analysis is thorough and well explained, so I can't complain. Although, I will say that the chief editor publishes in fiction under a pen name. I'm still willing to give them a chance. Seeing as they have been around for just over a year they haven't yet gained momentum, but the quality of people I have interacted with makes me want to be on that train when it inevitably takes off. Its a risk I'm willing to take. For my investment with Xchyler (only time and my story) I've gained a huge return already.
I have a couple pub credits to my name and though not extensive have been through a few different styles of pub processes. Unless you already have a 'name' short story sales are not about money but pub credits and name recognition - that is an accepted truth. When I first started with Xchyler I was cautious - I admit it. I was almost looking for fault. As the process continued and the interaction with the whole team lengthened I found my reticence dissolving. The editorial process was involved and the feed back guided without bullying. They went out of their way to make sure I was comfortable with allowing my voice to remain while still making necessary improvements. Is this publishing house for everyone - no. Period and end of story. But they have proved their dedication to what they are doing for me. As for sales and number of - they are new. Word of mouth has to get out and reputation built, that will take some time to occur. This goes back to what you want from your publisher. If you are looking - hoping- to make a living off writing and make it big right now - Xchyler isn't your publishing house (right now). If you want to get hooked up with a team that is busting its hump to work with it's authors and grow - then you might seriously want to give them a fair shake. I have found this team to be great to work with - I hope to work with them further . In the end, you and the publisher you are with have to 'fit', want the same things, and have the same goals. No one publisher will work for all people all the time. Many authors move from house to house because the goals of each change as time progresses. If you do want to try Xchyler that is what the anthologies are about - seeing if you and they are compatible. If not, it is still a pub credit. If you do enjoy it then you go from there.
lh... no offense toward you or the company was intended or in any way implied in what i wrote/asked... my questions about what and how they pay are no more than what i ask about any publishing or self-publishing venue, so i don't get why you are upset about my doing so... no one can either trust or distrust someone/something they know nothing about, which is why i'm asking what seem to me to be merely the normal questions anyone would ask about any publishing company... and, given what jayg learned about the quality of their product, it would also seem to me that some distrust is warranted... i've seen the same problems that jay noticed in the books turned out by many similar firms, so before i would even consider recommending a publisher to any of my mentees or clients, it's only doing do diligence for me to learn all i can about them... and there's no better way to do so than to ask questions of folks who've used them, is there?
While there is some truth to the notion of 'publishing credits' and 'name recognition,' if the story is with an anthology from a publisher whose publications don't sell very well, the credit won't mean much, especially if the goal is to help garner the attention of agents or larger publishing houses in the future. If an anthology doesn't sell very well, it is very unlikely that name recognition will follow. It may be that this publisher, gaining experience in the area of publishing and marketing,will begin to take off and flourish. Then again, maybe not. Most small publishers do not. Learning about publishing, working with editors, evaluating and studying contracts before signing, a bit about marketing a published work, does have merit, even if only making a few bucks from a story in the process. Historically, anthologies don't sell very well, although having a big name author or two in the mix can make a difference, along the lines of short story collections. But even well-established authors rarely do as well with short story collections as they do with novel-length releases.
I did a brief calculation of the author profit based on the current price on Amazon. The 60% amounts to $8.049 and dividing this between the 9 authors will make it $0.89 profit for each individual author for each book sold
