Hi all~ So, I normally write novels and short stories, but this one story is just sort of complete as a novella. I've tried to expand it, to turn it into a novel, but it just didn't feel right. Tor is currently closed to submissions... So... I came across Alban Lake and Kellan, both of which accept novellas... Do any of you have experience with them?
A few things I look for when examining small publishers. 1. Their website. Is it focused on selling books or attracting writers/authors? 2. How professional does their website look? 3. I look at the covers of the novels. What is their quality? Are they attractive and professional in their layout? 4. How often are they releasing novels, and where are they available? In what formats? Are they focused in a genre(s)? 5. I go to Amazon and B&N. Are they available there? If the novels are recent releases (last 4 or so months) what is their sales ranking and how many reviews? With Amazon, are they reviews by purchasers, and how many reviews have the reviewers done? Then, what do the reviews say? 6. I look inside and check out the story as it unfolds and the quality of copyediting. 7. I do a google or yahoo search, to see what's been said. I check out Preditors and Editors, Writer Beware, and Absolute Write for information. 8. I ask around from folks who might know. That's before I would submit my manuscript to them, presuming they publish the genre/types of books (novella) you've written. You can also contact one or more of their authors, but I don't think that's a reliable way to get solid information. I did a very cursory scan of both publishers, with only a couple titles from each publisher. I wasn't overly impressed. Newer releases with no sales or very few based on ranking on Amazon/B&N. Some are not even available on those venues with Alban. The covers were quite varied in quality and while the copyediting seemed good, the stories--repeated words and choppy sentences, and sentences with six or more prepositional phrases that could've been revised to read better, and such didn't impress me. But that's very subjective. All of the elements/questions above can provide a writer with an idea what to expect should they submit a manuscript and have one accepted. There's the contract of course, but that would come later, if they enjoy your works and have confidence that they can sell it and turn a profit. I don't have any experience with them or know any authors who have. Either may or may not be a good choice for you (or other authors), Valery Faye. If they appear to be a good fit and someone that you think will increase your chances of success as a writer--gaining readers, for example, then give them a try. Remember that just having a publisher isn't enough. A bad publisher, or a publisher with a bad contract, can be worse than no publisher at all. It takes very little actual publishing experience to set up a website and offer books via B&N, Amazon, Smashwords, etc. It takes far more to produce quality books and promote them and work with the author to find success. Good luck as you move forward. Terry
Thank you so much for all the help. They seemed a bit sketchy to me, so I hadn't sent them any of my work yet. As I was doing a bit of research on them, I thought maybe someone here might have had experience with them. But, from what I've found, and from what you've said, I think it's safe to say both are pretty sketch~
