COOPERATIVE PUBLISHING INFORMATION
FOR AUTHORS
For print books cooperative publishing
History: GLB Publishers began in 1990 as a cooperative publishing company, meaning that the author, with what s/he believes is a viable manuscript, contributes to the cost of printing and publicizing and shares in the profits (if any). The company is owned and managed by gay/bisexual men and is committed to advancement of gay, lesbian, and bisexual writing: fiction (explicit and non-explicit), non-fiction, plays, and poetry. The Editor is a widely published gay and bisexual fiction and non-fiction writer; the Associate Editor for Poetry is a poetry critic and also published.
More recently the cooperative model has been reserved for poetry and for special publications that do not lend themselves to the combined print book / e-book model (see e-p-bookinfo) .
Procedure for cooperative publishing:
1) The author presents and discusses his/her manuscript with the Editors, including the type of work, approximate length, and the author's expectations as a published work including expected audience, number of copies likely to be sold, price, time frames, and printing/binding/distribution concepts. Editors present options available and advise on practical considerations.
2) For optimal application, the manuscript should be word processed on computer disks compatible with IBM equipment and Word Perfect program (Windows). (Most word processing programs will be compatible.) Limited word processing service and scanning are available if necessary (at a nominal charge). Graphics should be in final form in layers and at least 400 dpi.
3) After joint decisions are made on design and general format, ball-park estimates will be furnished by the Editors as to cost of printing the number of books the author /publisher decides is reasonable for the first printing. Estimates of promotion costs will also be determined, depending on advice from the publisher and the wishes of the author. The publisher computes "break-even" points and answers questions that may arise.
4) The author advances US $1000 to cover initial costs to prepare the cover (see some of the covers done by GLB for these books) and manuscript (special work or photos may cost extra). When ready for submission of the entire Work to the printer, the author advances a second payment, the estimated cost for printing (usually US $2000 to $5000). Books requiring considerable artwork are more expensive. All technical work involved in this process is done by the publisher at his cost. The author also pays half the cost of the mutually-agreed promotion budget (deducted from royalties) with special arrangements for Web Site listing. These factors are included in the Author-Publisher Contract to be completed before work begins.
5) The publisher does the rest, including typesetting, copyrighting, ISBN, bar codes, interacting with graphic artists, printers, distributors/wholesalers, etc. Cost estimates are updated at intervals to keep the author informed. Publisher contributes half the promotional costs and arranges for advertising as appropriate. The books are sold through book stores nationally and internationally via wholesalers and distributors, and directly from GLB, at the GLB web site, and through several Internet book stores (Amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, etc.).
6) Author receives a royalty of 25% of the sale price of softcover books (20% for hardbacks) on the first five thousand copies and a royalty of 30% (25% on hardcovers) of store sales thereafter (5% less respectively for overseas sales). Fulfillment and warehousing are performed by the publisher or his agent, and sales taxes paid from the publisher's proceeds. Royalty payments are at 6 month intervals, after payments for sales are received.
Comparisons: GLB Publishers is a "niche" press for gay, lesbian, and bisexual writers/writing. We are committed to the type of writing described above, rather than a hodge-podge of "commercial" books. Our authors have much control over the appearance and promotion of the books (if they wish to), and we work hard to produce good work and to sell the books. Authors are expected to promote their books in their own ways. We are happy to refer you to previous GLB authors to hear about their experiences.
It sometimes happens that, after a good sales performance by an author's work, a subsequent work can attract the interest of a mainstream publisher because of a good track record. We are happy to help play that kind of role.
[GLB Publishers will also consider small print runs, sometimes termed "vanity publishing," where marketing of the book is not a publisher issue. Such projects are performed on a cost-plus basis. Refer to Personal Publishing for details.]
Most publishers pay a 5% to 10% royalty on the publisher's returns ("net" after deducting the publisher's costs) for selling the book, but pay for the printing and promotion (if any). As a cooperative publisher, we are less demanding of the manuscript in terms of commercial potential, but we require the author to share the costs and s/he then profits much more from the royalties. These two approaches should be considered carefully; the choice is yours to make.
Submissions: For fiction and non-fiction, manuscript outlines are preferred, along with a few sample chapters for initial reactions. For poetry collections, at least a few representative poems are recommended. All finished books should be at least 100 printed pages in length.
Work begins immediately after signing the contract with GLB Publishers. Please call or e-mail if there are questions.
GLB PUBLISHERS
P.O. Box 78212
San Francisco, CA 94107
http://www.glbpubs.com
W. L. Warner, Editor and Publisher,
John Hanley, Associate Editor
(Poetry)
(415) 621-8307
Fax (415)
621-8037
© GLB Publishers, April, 1999; March, 2000.