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If, after READING (no, REALLY REALLY reading!) all of this information, you still have any questions, please contact us: Query
Do you charge to publish my book?
NO. NEVER.
Do you pay royalties?
YES!
Do you charge anything to edit my book?
NO! NEVER PAY ONE PENNY TO SO-CALLED PUBLISHERS OR EDITORS. A REPUTABLE PROFESSIONAL WILL NEVER TRY TO TAKE COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGE OF AUTHORS BY CHARGING UP-FRONT COSTS OF ANY TYPE. THIS INCLUDES "MEMBERSHIP" TO SO-CALLED AUTHORS' SHOWCASES OR PROMOTIONAL SITES THAT ALSO CLAIM THEY WILL 'PUBLISH' YOUR WORK, OR HELP YOU SELF-PUBLISH. YOU CAN PROMOTE YOUR BOOK FAR BETTER YOURSELF, AND MORE CHEAPLY IF YOU SHOP AROUND CAREFULLY, THAN TO RELY ON THESE PEOPLE.
AND TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT, IF YOU ARE AN AUTHOR, STAY AN AUTHOR! BEING YOUR OWN PUBLISHER IS REALLY NOT FOR THE TRULY CREATIVE OR FAINT-HEARTED. IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, LEAVE DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT TO THE EXPERTS.
How much money can I hope for?
As the head of new media at Random House said, it is a zero billion dollar industry.
E publishing and digital publishing are very new business models which have had their ups and downs (as the net has recently), so it is hard to say. Do the math yourself--how many e books have you read? How many people do you know read e books?
Do you know what percentage of all retail sales in the USA takes place on the internet? We do! It has just turned to 1%. Yes, one percent only.
All authors must also be practical about the prejudices which are still attached to e books. This is why we sell our ebooks at large retailers like bn.com, amazon, and Powell's (in addition to the reason we mentioned above, digital rights management to protect the author's property fully and to make sure that they get paid fairly). In our case, our e books are an alternative to our hardcovers and paperbacks, thus giving the consumer a wider choice.
How are my rights as an author protected?
With all of the formats we sell the books in, the books are fully encrypted. With the special viewer, we have no fewer than 8 levels of encryption.
Any so-called publisher can sell a book from their site nowadays. But at Domhan Books, we feel it is essential for there to be full accountability for all copies of books sold. We have never sold e mail 'downloads', or set up pages where people can pick up their copy/pass your books around to others. RTF, PDF, and HTML are NOT secure formats. How do you know where your book is going, or to whom?
Digital rights management is all about making sure that every author is paid a fair price for every copy sold; after all, it is THE AUTHOR'S intellectual property, and the author should therefore demand from any publisher that their rights be protected fully.
The software we use, developed by ION/IBM, reports every sale, for both e and paper and hardcover books. Our other retail partners also have full DRM software capabilities; in all instances, full reports are produced monthly of all sales in hardcover, paperback, and all e formats, so that there is never any question about sales figures or royalties, or piracy of your work.
We are also participate in a digital library model. In this case, the author would get a percentage of the subscription fee every time their book was accessed on line. Our software and formats make all of these thrilling new opportunities for authors possible.
Do you charge anything to read manuscripts?
No. We are not a vanity or subsidy publisher.
Do you charge anything to set up my work as an e book, paperback or hardcover book?
No. We are not a vanity or subsidy publisher.
Do you do reprints of previously published works?
Yes, though in limited numbers, since the whole mission of Domhan Books is to get more new talented writers published. Having said that, we can appreciate that a lot of writers are now eager to try electronic publishing, to try to maximize their sales on their existing works.
Will you work with authors to help them improve the quality of their writing?
Yes, but bear in mind that there are really not enough hours in the day for everything we do! We edit each ms and make suggestions for improving the work with a view to readers and critics being impressed with the work. We also actively support the careers of our authors, and are always happy to watch them develop and grow their list, even if that means they sometimes get a better offer elsewhere. The best advice we can offer is to make sure the ms is the best you can make it before you send it, and if you are accepted, to review carefully your galleys and the editor's notes accompanying the galley.
Even if you get a rejection letter, we hope that you will be able to learn something from it. Also bear in mind the huge level of submissions we have, and our level of acceptance, which is currently about 1-2% only.
Do you offer advances?
Not at this time. All of the profits from Domhan Books are reinvested in the company. We undertake a substantial commitment in terms of money and time in formatting the books for hardcover, paperback and so on, commissioning artists, promoting the work through review copies (postage and photocopies all add up, you know) and dealing with all of our different distributors to get the books up and selling in as many stores as possible. To offer advances to authors would be limiting our opportunity to publish more authors, and to market and publicize effectively the book in the crucial pre-and initial post-press stages.
Do you edit the books?
Most definitely. We seek to put out a high-quality product. We are not a vanity publisher. All books go through several edits, from the detailed line edit to making suggestions to improve the marketability of the work/improving the author's technique. It will be your responsibility to look over your galley proofs before the book goes to press, in a timely fashion so that we can keep to our production schedule, and to take note of the editor's comments.
What formats do you publish?
Palm Pilot, Windows CE, Microsoft Reader, Glassbook and the two RCA formats, the Ion viewer, available on and off-line, and PDF, with more new formats to come as they are introduced, such as Franklin and the hiebook, Trapeze, Mobipocket, GoReader, and so on. We are also moving into audio within the next few months.
What if I do not own any of these electronic book reading devices?
In most cases, the software is free! You can download the Glass, and Microsoft Reader software from Barnes and Noble. You only need to buy a device if you want the convenience of carrying a hundred books around with you at once! With our books, you can read on line or download the self-contained program. If you are going to spend the money, why not get a Palm?
Can I suggest cover art?
Yes, of course. Just keep in mind that there are very strict requirements for the file formatting for the print book. In some cases we may not be able to use the art if it is not in an acceptable format. We use a variety of professional artists, including the fabulous Fortin and Sanders, to ensure a high-quality product.
Why can't I simply become an e publisher in my own right and do it all myself?
Just ask Stephen King.