Who has worked with publisher's with no money down?

1. 48

   MrDSpadeposted 11 years ago

   If you have, give details about the process you went through. Alright for those who say they don't understand the question, I'm asking about the process you went thru publishing a book with no money down. Has anyone done this before?

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   1. 68

      thisisoliposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You might need to be more specific!

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      1. 48

         MrDSpadeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         If you don't have a answer don't respond....

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         1. 87

            IzzyMposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Why can't I repsond when I don't understand the question?

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         2. 74

            Rafiniposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Its a free website, I can respond if I want to, respond if I want to, respond if I want to
            
            
            (sorry, couldn't help it )

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            1. 48

               MrDSpadeposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Yeah i can see that..

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   2. 0

      ryankettposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I have to agree with above, can you not be more specific? It depends on the nature of your agreement. Ask yourself precisely what it is that your publisher is providing you with in return for their share of royalties.
      
      Are they promoting and marketing the book? Arranging the distribution? Doing the illustrations and formatting? The proofreading?
      
      That is where your "money down" is. They make a financial commitment to you in that respect. If this is your first book, it would make no sense whatsoever for them to pay you an advance (if this is what you are talking about) since their chances of a return are actually pretty slim. If they end up doing very well out of the project, and ask you to produce something else, then you will then be in a position to negotiate a golden handshake.
      
      Just my opinion. If you don't sell any books, then it is the publishers who take the hit. Never pay them any money, and everybody is sweet.
      
      Please also consider precisely what an 'advance' is. It is in fact an advance on your pay. If you sell enough books to make $10,000 for yourself, and you were given an advance of $10,000, then you had better hope that you hadn't spent the paycheque too quickly!

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      1. 56

         blondepoetposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Hey Ryan I wouldn't mind a swig of what you are drinking, come on share ROFL.

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   3. 78

      darksideposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      No money down?
      
      That's the sort of deal you get if you are a writer who shows exceptional talent.
      
      Being a person who can misspell "poetry" as "peotry" I don't think that person is you.

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   4. 73

      Pearldiverposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes.
      Would I share my knowledge with anyone with a negative attitude? (as demonstrated)..... Nope.. sorry
      I wish you luck, better spelling ability and better medication.
      Perhaps your 'creatures of the night' theme could be more original... or were you skimming off the success of twilight?

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   5. 92

      Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Adele has explained it quite well.  If a real publisher (not an online publisher) has offered to publish your book with no money down, grab it with both hands.  Only an elite few ever get the opportunity.
      
      However, you have to be humble enough to work with their editor to polish your work and make it ready for publication. They will rarely, if ever, accept the work exactly as you wrote it.
      
      If you're talking about publishing online at a free site like Lulu.com, that's different.  They make their money by taking a commission on each sale.  They couldn't care less whether your book is any good, and they won't do anything to help you sell it.  Expect to sell 100 copies if you're really lucky.

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   6. 83

      psycheskinnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You don't pay a publisher, they pay you.

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   7. 59

      Jael Turnerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Read my hub "Confessions of an Indie Writer". It is the cheapest way I know of getting a book published...not promoted...just published.

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2. 93

   AdeleCosgroveBrayposted 11 years ago

   Basically, there are two types of publishers - those who YOU PAY to publish your work, and those who PAY YOU for your work.
   
   Traditional publishing houses view all manuscripts as potential business propositions.  On reading any manuscript they will ask themselves:  Will this sell?  Is there a market for this kind of product?  Is this product of the kind which my company likes to handle?  Can this person write well, and do they have long-term investment potential?  Has this writer developed a strong web-presence, and have a pre-existing circle of potential buyers?
   
   Self-publishing houses also view all manuscripts as potential business propositions.  On receiving any manuscript they will care little or nothing for the product so long as the sender is willing to pay for their ambition of seeing it published.
   
   The difference of approach is surely obvious.
   
   If you wish to approach a traditional publisher, first make absolutely sure that your finished manuscript is as good as you can get it.  Have other people read it and find fault with it.  Make sure your MS is presented in a professional format.
   
   Join a writers group and/or take creative writing classes; learn your craft.  Research the market, and research the business. 
   
   There are many useful (and useless) sites freely available online.  However a very good starting point would be to read Stephen King's non-fiction book "On Writing" as this offers a lot of sound, useful information about how to go about developing a writing career.  The annual "Writers' & Artists' Yearbook" also offers sound advice plus lists of literary agents and publishers, and information about how to approach these.

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   1. 74

      Rafiniposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Has this writer developed a strong web-presence
      
      
      Is this really important and what exactly would be expected?  I mean, I'm obviously on HubPages, but I'm also on MySpace, Facebook, shetoldme, and blogger.  Where else or what else should I be doing at this stage?  (I'm only 3 months in)

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      1. 92

         Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         If you're thinking of publishing a novel, then you need to be using your name on these sites, not a nickname.  Marisa Wright is not my real name but it's the name I plan to publish my novel under, if I ever get the %^&*@$% thing finished.  Google that name now, and you'll find quite a lot of the top pages are me, not some other Marisa Wright.  It also helps to have a signature image.
         
         That's web presence.

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         1. 74

            Rafiniposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks Marisa.  Yeah!  That's what I'm working on.  
            
            Rafini is the name I want to publish under, so I'm good.
            
            
            
            A signature image....would that be your avatar?

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            1. 92

               Marisa Wrightposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Rafini?  Just one name?  That's fine for a nickname but... I guess it depends what genre you're in.  I think some people find a single name mysterious, I just find it pretentious (as in, I'm so special I don't need another name).  You might want to test a few other reactions!
               
               Yes, my avatar. You want people to think of you as a real person, so it should be a photo.  Mine is a kind of halfway house because you can't see my face. 
               
               And by the way, if you're on Blogger, why don't you have a link to your blog on your profile?

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               1. 74

                  Rafiniposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  Not just one name, lol, Rafini Loeshun.   At one time I thought of just the one name, but felt the way you do. (would it be accepted from a writer?? lol)
                  
                  Okay, I see I need to keep hunting for a good avatar! 
                  
                  Thanks for the reminder to link to my blog.  I don't actually visit there as often as I intended....I spend much more time here and don't really get the idea behind blogger much.  But, I'm going now to add the link.

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3. 60

   GusTheRedneckposted 11 years ago

   Some very nice people have provided kind and astute answers to your question, which, by the way, was without a "please" in the thing. Furthermore, your spelling would cause any sensible book printer to want to charge you double the usual...
   :-0

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4. 81

   ytsenohposted 11 years ago

   You should never have to pay a publisher, that is, unless you plan to self-publish in which case, you have options of what to pay and who to pay it to.

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5. 60

   GusTheRedneckposted 11 years ago

   Hello everyone - and Hello to that "Pop-in-Jay" who asked the original question...
   
   I commend you responders, one and all, for having provided this arrogant and rather insulting, would-be-published-author with such polite and truly useful answers, many of which the person threw back at those who were trying to help him or her.
   
   Very rarely does such a "zero thank-you" ingrate appear here on Hubpages. My suggestion to that person would simply be, you seem to have little talent and zero gratitude, so why don't you zip on off to somewhere that other ingrates gather and where you can mock one another with the zeal you have displayed here on this thread?
   
   Not once did we see a single "thank you" in anything that this character wrote, either in the original question or in any reply. What a loser! Maybe that should be spelled with all double letters, like ll oo ss ee rr.
   
   Gus :-)

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