Does anyone know anything about Gypsy Shadow Publishing? I checked them out on predators and editors, but they aren't listed.
Their home domain has only been registered for a little over a year, and it looks like they have been in operation for far less time than that. It's too soon for complaints to really show up if it's a scam outfit or completely incompetent. They seem to be primarily geared toward e-publishing, and it doesn't look likely that they have much resources for print publishing, even thought they mention it in their submission guidelines - it looks more like a growth plan than an actual capability.
thanks Cog. Yeah, they only have certain books in print. How they decipher what goes in print and what does not, I don't know.
I checked out the site, and saw some of book "covers" that they used. I have to admit, I wasn't too impressed with what I saw. Most of the work I saw was unoriginal artwork, involving some really bad photoshop. There were some in there that were "okay" but even then I don't think it was up to par with what most people would expect from a book. If I saw a book like that on a shelf I would avoid it, since it just screams bad quality. I doubt if any bookstores would even consider stocking any of this stuff. My word of advice, avoid this publisher. Try looking for one that has been around a long time, and has some good author references. It may take longer to find someone, but it will be worth your time in the end.
Thanks, I agree the cover designs are a little cheesy. But the books are in fact marketed on other sites, including Barnes and Noble, so that's a good sign. I just submitted my novel days ago and today they said they will be offering me a contract soon. I sent my work to a few other places, in the hopes I will hear from them soon. Gypsy Shadow is a royality paying pub, but I haven't recieved the full particulars yet. Believe me, I won't be making any rash decisions just yet. Thanks for your input.
They've only had your book for days, and they're already predicting a contract? That sounds far too fast; has there even realistically been time to read your book, much less compare it to other candidates, pitch it up the management chain, and so on? I've always assumed that the process from submission to contract takes months. Am I wrong?
Chicken you are absolutely right! Like I said, I only submitted it to them days ago, but I sent the full ms. with the synopsis of the entire story. Mine is only a novella too. In the email she said she was enjoying it so far. So she hasn't read to the very end yet. But like in the syn. she knows already how it's going to end. Yeah, it does seem too fast, that's why I'm checkin around first.
i'd also be suspicious of the 'interest' in a novella, since there's no market for them in the us [in print books, though ok for e-books], unless this is for the YA crowd... another red flag is the fact that they have a contest going... their cheesy site doesn't make them look all that legit, either...
It occurs to me that a publisher that pays their own costs, but has no marketing or distribution resources or talent, may not be appreciably better than a vanity publisher, and that that could be (I don't know) what's going on here - especially given the relatively low cost of e-publishing. Sure, you don't pay them up front, but your book will be tied up with them, instead of being free to submit to a publisher that might _have_ marketing and distribution resources. ChickenFreak
What about Eternal Press? It's not recommended on the p&e site, but I don't see any scams about it when I google it, does anyone know about this company?
i'd take a 'not recommended' listing seriously, as dave doesn't tack on that assessment without good cause... it's been taken over by 'damnation press' that also earned a 'not recommended' listing on p/e, so that's a double whammy... both sites look amateurish, not at all like what i expect [and see] from respectable professional publishing firms...
