The Beauty of Small Press
By Jillian Forsberg | October 22, 2024 |
Therese here to trumpet that today’s WU author is now a published novelist! In fact, Jillian Forsberg’s debut, The Rhino Keeper, releases today! Congratulations, Jillian!
My debut novel, The Rhino Keeper, releases today through the micro-press History Through Fiction. They publish 2-3 titles a year.
I have a secret to tell you, reader.
I didn’t know how good I’d have it when I signed with this small press.
Many authors dream of big, six-figure deals with the biggest publishers in the world, or signing with the agent of your dreams. My fear, if I’d have signed with an agent, is that dreaded phrase: died on submission. This industry is full of highs and lows, and we all must face the reality that if you sign with an agent, you may not get a pub deal. The anguish!
But I’m here to tell you that if your goal is a book in your hands, you absolutely must consider small presses. Quite frankly, I don’t have the skill set to indie publish myself. Kudos to those who do. The ins and outs of the publishing industry and how to get a book into the world is not something I can do alone. It’s complicated, challenging, and difficult. Indie authors, you’re truly incredible humans who work every side of your career! I would still be floundering in the upload phase if I tried.
Now,I can’t speak to all the small presses, but I can tell you my experience with the one I’ve signed with.
Here’s why History Through Fiction is a gem:
— The submissions process was easy and my manuscript was requested within days of submitting.
—I heard back with an extremely kind offer email within weeks of the full request.
—The Zoom call offer was very low-pressure and things were spelled out clearly for me with what to expect, what resources and limitations exist within the small press, and what life is like for their authors.
—They gave me contact information for their authors so I could speak to them individually and find out what their experiences were like. Their authors were responsive, kind, and even chatted on the phone with me.
—The contract I had reviewed by a lawyer (my uncle, lucky me!) needed no changes and had a lovely royalty rate plus a small advance.
—I was given a multiple page marketing plan, plus the option to add ideas via a submittable website that allowed me to voice my own opinions.
—The edits for the manuscript were clear, collaborative, and easy to follow. Kindness exuded in the comments in the digital document.
—I had input and influence over the cover and interior of the book. Neither needed major changes after initial designs were sent over and I was wildly pleased with the results of both.
—Marketing was collaborative but I always felt I was getting an equal share of the platform with already-published works and my own, unpublished book.
—My ideas for marketing were met with excitement and the best word: “YES!”
—I was able to order many copies of the book in advance to sell on my own website and take to events, even pre-launch. This feels special as early readers are more likely to create a fan base.
—Giveaways, NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, LibraryThing – all of these things were taken care of by the publisher. Thank goodness! I have no idea how to do that!
—When we discovered a typo in the manuscript that was actually quite problematic, they allowed for a change just before launch and reuploaded every file. Whew.
—The owner of the publishing company is coming to my launch party.
—They’ve asked me to spearhead a Beta Reader Matching Program, teach workshops, be a guest on the podcast, connect me with other platforms, and, most importantly, be myself.
Friends, this is just a small portion of what History Through Fiction has done for my career. And here’s the thing — less than a year after signing my contract, I had a book in my hands. If you’re seeking publication, I highly encourage you to look at small presses.
After a significant vetting process, you might find your book is better off being big to a small press than a big publisher with a small book.
If you’re in the querying phase of your work, find small presses that rep your genre and submit! You never know what might happen. Make sure to look at their websites clearly, and find their authors on social media and the books on Goodreads or Amazon to see how they’re received.
Find the presses on socials, NetGalley, etc., and look at their history. Find their owner and see if that’s a person you want to spend hours working with.
Most importantly: order one or two of their books and read them. You’ll not only be supporting an author and an indie press, but you’ll literally be testing the product with your own work in mind.
Would you consider submitting to a small press? Why or why not? If you’re an indie author, would you consider submitting to a small press instead of publishing yourself?
Lastly, a more reflective question — what is your ultimate goal with your writing? Is it a book in your hands, or something different? Seeking all avenues for publication is a wonderful thing.
Cheers to those small presses working so hard for their authors out there. You’re the difference makers in so many lives!
For more information on the Beta Reader Matching Program, click here.
Jillian Forsberg is a historian and author with a master’s degree in public history from Wichita State University. Her research on little-known historical events led her to discover the true story behind her first novel, The Rhino Keeper. In addition to being the former editor for Wichita State’s The Fairmont Folio, Jillian is an essayist whose articles have been published in academic journals. With a passion for animal history, Jillian can also be found gardening, exploring antique malls, or reading every label at a museum. Vintage dresses are Jillian’s clothing of choice, except when she’s at the zoo. She lives in Wichita, Kansas, with her husband, child, and pets, where she owns a bridal store. She’s currently working on her third novel.
I am publishing my debut novel in APril with Monarch Educational Services. There’s a lot to be said for the personal attention and support I’ve received from the pubisher. I say AMEN! to what you wrote, Jillian, and best wishes for RHINO!!
Awesome post, Jillilan, as you are stressing there are many ways to be published, all of them having their strong points. Congratulations, Beth
Yes to small presses! As the co-founder of Galiot Press, I’m thrilled to read this. We, too, aim for a collaborative, respectful, and transparent process in which the author feels supported. Congrats, Jillian! And thank you for sharing your experience here.
Congrats on your first publication, Jillian! What a wonderful experience you had, and thank you for sharing it with me.
My first fiction publication was also with a small but traditional press. The deal was similar to yours, and the publisher was clear with marketing. The only negative was the biz itself. Publishing is not an easy business, and my publisher went out of business a few years after signing with me. Even then they were professional and kind. They signed the rights back to me and gave me the artwork and loadable files for free.
You make great points in your post. A small traditional press can be amazing–the trick is to find the ones that aren’t in it to take advantage of authors.
Hugs,
Dee
Hello Jillian, and congratulations on The Rhino Keeper. I just took a peak at the “look inside” feature on Amazon, and you set the stage well. Andrea had no choice.
“Quite frankly, I don’t have the skill set to indie publish myself. Kudos to those who do. The ins and outs of the publishing industry and how to get a book into the world is not something I can do alone.”
Neither can I, but my own experience convinced me I had no choice. That has meant working with freelance editors, a proofreader, a book developer, a cover designer, and a marketer to get my seventh novel into the world next month. Whether it ends up in readers’ hands remains to be seen. Thanks again for your useful, timely post.
Where’s that proof reader? It should be “peek.”
You had me scared for a minute there – I just combed through the post looking for the typo! LOL.
I missed that one!
Jillian, great points with which I couldn’t agree more! I am published by a small press and have experienced the same kind of support as you mentioned. In my opinion, a small press cuts out a great deal of angst and stress where publishing is concerned.
Congrats, Jillian. Sounds like you have a good publisher for your book. That is half the battle. What was your process in finding them? I am with an independent press and they just launched my 4th novel (the previous three were with another indie press but much smaller and ended up closing). I’ve also self-published and it’s quite a task, but I did learn a lot about the industry, book selling, and marketing. When shopping for an indie press, I discovered that some independent presses require fees from the author and operate more as a vanity press. Others are hybrid presses, requiring the author to share the cost of book production/marketing expenses and can be quite expensive, requiring thousands of dollars. So we authors must be careful because not all indie presses operate alike. I learned this after months of researching. I am happy to say that my new indie press, Crystal Lake Publishing, operates as a traditional publisher requiring no fees or investments and in business over 10 years successfully; I’m quite happy with their professionalism and quality. I’d just like to point out that finding the right indie press for your genre takes research, time, and evaluation.
Jillian, thank you for this peek into working with your wonderful publisher. I will keep them in mind for my historical. It’s not always easy to find reputable ones. I’m a hybrid author, publishing with trade companies, but when I was querying my novel and ended up looking into micro-presses, I thought I might as well take all the risks and self-publish. It’s not easy because you have to wear all the hats and hire your own team to bring the book to readers, but it’s been so rewarding. I write to connect so I am grateful for the variety of ways we can reach our readers. Congratulations on publication of Rhino Keeper.
I had a wonderful experience being published by a small literary press in the UK.
Me? I’m the naysayer of the bunch. I have had encounters with two small presses that leave me very skittish and unwilling to go with a small press. In both cases, I had decent contracts but…I had to fight to get royalties and my rights back. No, they weren’t hybrid presses, and in one case the publisher was a now former friend. The other was a press that had acquired a new owner with…less than stellar performance. The previous owner had built up its good reputation but the new one was…well, there were health issues. I had to threaten to go to SFWA’s Grievance Committee to get what royalties I did receive from that one press. When I wanted to take my rights back per the contract, that was another big argument and more threats to go to Griefcom on my part before I got my reversion letter. Plus I had issues with the first round of edits on the book they published (light editing until 2/3rds of the way through, intense edits on ten pages, and every dialogue tag was corrected to look like an action tag and vice versa. At least I got a new edit when I demanded it that was much better. The sad thing? The first editor was one I’ve seen highly praised by regional writers at a big literary conference. I have to wonder after seeing that edit).
It says something when the former acquisitions editor for that press apologizes to you for bringing you on board.
That’s the big challenge with small presses, especially if they are one person operations. I know of at least two people who were left in the lurch when Eric Flint died and Ring of Fire Press just…died with him.
There are good small presses out there and I know of a few that I would publish with should I so desire and have something that fits their overall mold. However. Vet them carefully. Check with Writer Beware to make sure no one’s complained about them. Ask about their contingency plans should the main owner develop health issues or die. Ensure you have solid reversion clauses in your contracts, make sure you have the right to ask for a new edit, and audit your royalty payments at least yearly. If the press decides to switch their genres or emphasis, make sure you can pull your books. That happened to me with the one press as well, when they decided they wanted conservative “Christian” books–which is not what I write.
Joyce, I think you’re onto something by telling us that you believe “There are good small presses out there and I know of a few that I would publish with, should I so desire and have something that fits their overall mold.” These are business relationships, always with promise. Being a publisher is hard and everybody starts by believing they will do right by everyone. Honoring a contract and paying as promised is crucial, of course. There have been disappointing publishers as long as there have been publishers. Thanks for all the tips in your closing paragraph about what to watch for in a contract. I love the note in Jillian’s story about her lawyer uncle vetting her contract. Reversion clauses are the lifelines for your creations. Another strategy might be to define a term of service for your contract that doesn’t exceed two years. And honestly, what are any of our contingency plans for when we die? You might sign a two-book deal and get cancer, and the publisher has contracted for you and your voice alone.
Addressing your point about writer death contingency plans–I recommend checking out the Legacy Kit that SFWA provides: https://www.sfwa.org/what-is-sfwa/projects/estate/legacy-kit/
Reversion clauses need to be two or three years. I’ve heard of longer, but those are usually from the Big Five/Four/whatever they are these days.
Wow, Joyce, you certainly had a stroke of bad luck. You are right though about ‘Vet them carefully’ and checking in with Writer Beware. Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA) will evaluate a publishing contract for under $100 and it’s absolutely worth it. When my first indie publisher closed suddenly, I used them to advise me about getting my copyright back. All turned out okay. . . eventually.
Congratulations, Jillian. You must be a very good writer for a small publisher to choose you. This is a whole part of the industry that I know very little about, except that it seems perilous for them as well as us.
Judging by the comments here, which include two accounts of small publishers closing, I must confess I am amazed that small *traditional* publishers even exist. I know there are small outfits handling highly specialized books—hot-rods, old west, body building—but in general, I can’t see how a company doing three or four books a year can make money unless they are brilliant judges of both talent and the market. Big publishers rely on a few blockbusters to finance dozens of so-so performers (and the occasional disaster), so how can the small publishers make a living? I’m going to see what I can find in the WU archives.
In the meantime, fingers crossed for small presses (especially History Through Fiction, of course), and for The Rhino Keeper.
So very well spoken, Jillian. Like the end of Casablanca, when Rick is telling Louis, “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Be sure to keep us all up to date on that beta program. And where did you go to find those indie publisher lists? Seems maybe there’s an assignment there that would make Facebook useful. Lots of readers don’t even know what an imprint is. They just love the books!
Congratulations on your debut novel! :-)
I had (and continue having) a great experience with a small press in Baltimore. It has been a wonderful personal relationship and a long-lived one: Thirteen years after publication, they still support the book (inviting me to signings and book festivals, etc.). When they decided that they didn’t want to get into the audiobook business after all, they quickly and happily returned those rights to me.
Great story Jillian. Love how you found a place that works so well for you and congrats on the book.
To answer your first question, I was very happy with a small press that initially published my mystery series. I received a small advance and decent royalties, plus they sent the books to the trade magazines for review. They stopped publishing mysteries, so I continued that series as an indie author, paying for editing, formatting, etc. Even though I’m an editor, I wasn’t comfortable doing a final edit on my books and I’m so glad I acted on that discomfort. Also had covers made by a graphic artist. Words are my strength, not art. Like you, I didn’t want to do any of that work myself.
More recently I’ve been working with a small hybrid publisher and all that necessary work is done in house. I don’t get an advance for books, but again a decent royalty.
I agree that sometimes it’s better to go small. :-)