Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion

At the beginning of June, one of the children's author groups that I am a member of on LinkedIn featured a posting that Cary Press was seeking submissions. I submitted my children's book manuscript and received an e-mail today from Cary Press stating that they would like to work with me to publish my book.

Since I have been duped before, I am really researching and doing my homework. Cary Press works with authors who have already established a sizeable social media presence for their book. I have checked the Preditors and Editors page and they (thankfully) were not listed.

Has anyone else ever hear of or dealt with Cary Press? I do not want to be fooled a third time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Are they asking you for money?

Also, generally, if a publisher's website is focused on selling their services to authors and not selling their books to readers, the publisher doesn't have the writer's best interest in mind.

If they're asking you for money to publish the book, they're a vanity press. (They may be new and not yet talked about).

If they're a traditional publisher, then go very carefully over the contract so that you understand what rights you are selling to them.

They are considered collaborative publishers - interesting concept but don't think it's what you're looking for - check the website below for info:

http://carypress.com/collaborative-pu...

So far, I have not been asked for money. I know that that would be a giant red flag for sure. Thank you, Christine. I did look at their website and read their "About" page. No contract has been offered or signed as of yet.

The founder simply asked what had been done with the book i.e. editing, illustrations, etc. If they are trying to fish for money, they will be greatly disappointed as I have already had my manuscript professionally edited as well as have my own illustrator who is finishing up the rough drafts as we speak.

I will see what type of response my e-mail generates and keep everyone posted. Thank you for the help!

Good luck.

Thank you, Abigail!

Lauren: This is how they describe Collaborative Publishing (from their home page):

"Then you find one service that offered the option and didn’t require you to know the publishing terminology. You submitted your manuscript to a CaryPress publishing consultant via email. After a little bit of editing, and on the 2nd day of submission, you were informed that your book is published and available on Amazon. How could that be? That fast?! Sounds too good to be true. But seeing your book on Amazon can’t be wrong."

The above is in direct conflict to their statement that they reply to regular submissions in 4 to 6 weeks.

There is no mention of cost at this point, but to go any further into the site, you need to enter personal info (which I have no intention of doing).

This sounds like a pitch to me. I'm curious to see what info you get via email.

My feeling is that if you already have 5,000 blog followers or 2,000 facebook fans like they want, you shouldn't really need their help. You can hire a cover artist and editor fairly reasonably, so I don't know what they're actually going to do for you?

R.A. wrote: "My feeling is that if you already have 5,000 blog followers or 2,000 facebook fans like they want, you shouldn't really need their help. You can hire a cover artist and editor fairly reasonably, so..."

They will help split your royalties.

Gregor wrote: "R.A. wrote: "My feeling is that if you already have 5,000 blog followers or 2,000 facebook fans like they want, you shouldn't really need their help. You can hire a cover artist and editor fairly r..."

Yup.

Just wanted to clarify that I do have an illustrator/cover artist who is currently working on the rough illustrations. Also, I have had my manuscript professionally edited.

Lauren wrote: "...Has anyone else ever hear of or dealt with Cary Press? I do not want to be fooled a third time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!..."

Lauren, I am not familiar with this publisher. I also would be skeptical and definitely do the research. So let's recap - Over 45 members have seen this post and no one here seems to have any first hand knowledge of this company.

That should tell you something. I think you were right to question and the lack of response should give you your answer.

This is definitely not what you're looking for in a publisher.

Good Luck with your book. You are well prepared and I'm sure you will be able to find a reputable publisher very soon.

I may be naive here, but if you have had the MS professionally edited and have already hired a cover artist, I'm not sure why you need to involve an outside source to publish at all, unless you are hesitant about trying to do your own marketing.

It just seems silly to share your earnings with anyone else when you've already done the preliminaries to get the book ready.

Lynda wrote: "I may be naive here, but if you have had the MS professionally edited and have already hired a cover artist, I'm not sure why you need to involve an outside source to publish at all, unless you are..."

I was thinking the same thing.

Guess what? You're going to have to do your own marketing even WITH a traditional publisher.

Renee wrote: "Guess what? You're going to have to do your own marketing even WITH a traditional publisher."

Yeah, and this outfit is not a traditional publisher.

To be quite honest, I have no idea what I am doing in regards to self publishing. My BS is in Print Journalism, not marketing. I have also noticed that in order to advance with self-publishing, you need to have a great deal of money, which I do not posses.

My illustrator is fantastic and is charging a very reasonable price. But, you have to purchase an ISBN (multiple if you want your book to appear on different platforms), pay to register your book with the Library of Congress, pay a printer, the list goes on and on.

While I am not trying to go off on a rant, I am merely venting the frustrations that many self-publishers face. I do believe in my story, but I am not willing to go into extreme debt to see it published. I know that thousands of dollars may not seem like a lot to some, but for me and my family, that is simply out of the question.

You can self-pub (indie publish) through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iTunes for nearly nothing up front. What used to be referred to as vanity presses cost you a fortune up front. Completely different animal. Publishing on demand and e-books changed everything.

For starters, there's a great deal of information on Holly Lisle's site, http://howtothinksideways.com/ and you can learn tons from Amazon's https://www.createspace.com/ I'm sure others can point you to equally good information.

I'll echo what Renee has said above. The self-pubs I know who have gone through Amazon have done it for a very reasonable amount of money. Money is money, and I don't know anyone who feels they have any to burn. You shouldn't have to go into debt just to see your goal achieved.

Print-on-demand has made a HUGE change in the industry.

Many of the small publishers are using the same POD facilities that CreateSpace, B&N and Lulu use!

Linda wrote: "If you are publishing via a print-on-demand model, you probably (I'm not that familiar with it) don't have to pay for printing. That's why it's called "on demand." The copies are printed as they're sold, either to individual customers directly or in quantity to you so you can hand sell them yourself..."
You are correct; you don't have to pay anything at all for on-demand printing. You do have to pay for your own books per copy, including the proof, but these are sold to the author at a large discount.

Linda wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Nor do you pay to register with the LoC. Again, it's free..."

Actually, it costs $35 to register for a copyright. A small price to pay for some peace of mind.

There is a promotion opportunity for SPA's coming up at http://www.digitalbookday.com/

You submit a link to your book, and it has to be free on July 14th.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JohnWard...

Thanks for this post, Stan.

Okay, everyone. I just received the contract. I have pasted part 1 below. Please let me know your thoughts!


COLLABORATIVE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT (hereinafter called the Agreement) is made this ____ day of ___________,
20___, between CaryPress (hereinafter called the “Publisher”) and
_______________________ (hereinafter called the “Author,” which term shall be deemed to
include the Author's executor, devisees, heirs, and literary assigns).
WHEREAS, the Author desires the Publisher to publish the Author’s work titled
_______________________ , (hereinafter called the “Work”), and Publisher desires to publish
the Work;
NOW THEREFORE in consideration of the promises hereinafter set forth and for valuable
consideration, receipt whereof is acknowledged, the parties agree as follows:
1. Grant of Publishing Rights
A. The Author hereby grants and assigns to the Publisher, its successors, representatives, and
assigns, the sole and exclusive right to publish (i.e., print, publish, and sell) the Work in all forms
in the territory during the full term of copyright and any renewals and extensions thereof, except
as provided herein.
B. The Author shall execute and deliver to the Publisher any and all documents which the
Publisher reasonably deems necessary or appropriate to evidence or effectuate the rights
granted in this Agreement.
C. Nothing contained in this Clause shall be construed as limiting, modifying or otherwise
affecting any of the rights granted to the Publisher under this Agreement.
2. Collaboration
The Publisher and the Author have agreed to collaborate on publishing and marketing the
Author’s Works and build a sustainable Author Brand and Fan Community. The publishing and
marketing collaboration includes on the Publisher’s side (dependent on amount of fans
attracted):
1. Editing need review
2. Formatting
3. Publishing in paperback, hardcover or digital forms
4. Setting up an author and book website
5. Setting up relevant social media accounts
6. Book trailer
7. Convert the book into a documentary or movie (Publisher will discuss this with Author if Author
Brand and Fan Community are successful)
The Author’’s side (dependent of amount of fans attracted):
1. Submission of the Work in its complete form
2. Participate in following mutuallyagreed
marketing activities:
Social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc Email marketing
Website and blog updates Local book signing events
Gathering book reviews (please add more activities here)
3. Author's Warranties and Indemnity
A. The Author warrants to the Publisher and its licensees that he/she is the sole Author and
proprietor of the Work; that the Work has not heretofore been published in book form; that he/she
is the owner of all the rights granted to the Publisher, and has full power to enter into this
agreement, and that said rights are not subject to any proper agreement, lien, or other claim or
rights which may interfere with the rights herein granted; that the Work is original and not in the
public domain; that it does not violate the right of privacy of any person; that it contains no
libelous, obscene, or other unlawful matter; and that it does not infringe upon the copyright or
violate any other right of any person or party. The Author agrees to hold the Publisher
harmless against any damages, including attorney's fees, finally sustained in any suit involving
the Publisher or its licensees by reason of a violation of any of these warranties.
B. If any such suit is instituted, the Publisher shall promptly notify the Author and may withhold
payments due to the Author under this Agreement, until such suit has been settled or withdrawn.
If a final adverse judgment is rendered and is not discharged by the Author, the Publisher may
apply the payments so withheld to the satisfaction of such judgment. The Author undertakes for
himself, his successors and assigns, to execute at any time, on request of the Publisher, any
document or documents to confirm or continue any of the rights defined herein, and to take all
proceedings necessary to enforce copyright in the United States and elsewhere.
C. If the Author unreasonably disapproves of any outofcourt
settlement recommended by the
Publisher and the claim or suit proceeds to trial, the Author shall be liable for all the Publisher's
fees, costs, damages, and expenses connected with such trial regardless of outcome. The
Publisher shall have the right to reasonably extend the benefit of the indemnities to any person,
firm, or corporation at any time, and the Author shall be liable thereon as if Author's warranties
were originally made to such person, firm, or corporation.
D. The provisions of this Section 3 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
4. Delivery of New Work Manuscript
A. The Author agrees to deliver to the Publisher the final manuscript of the Work, in content and
form satisfactory to the Publisher.
B. The Author shall deliver to the Publisher, not later than the Initial Delivery Date unless
otherwise designated by the Publisher, each of the following materials:
i) The Author shall deliver to the Publisher, at the Author’s sole expense, written authorizations
and permissions for the use of any copyrighted or other proprietary materials (including but not
limited to art and illustrations) owned by any third party which appear in the Work and written
releases or consents by any person or entity described, quoted or depicted in the Work
(hereinafter collectively called the “Permissions”). If the Author does not deliver the Permissions,
the Publisher shall have the right, but not the obligation, to obtain such Permissions on its own
initiative, and the Author shall reimburse the Publisher for all expenses incurred by the Publisher
in obtaining such Permissions.
ii) The Author acknowledges and confirms that the Publisher shall have no liability of any kind for
the loss or destruction of the Manuscript or any other documents or materials provided by the
Author to the Publisher, and agrees to make and maintain copies of all such documents and
materials for use in the event of such loss or destruction.
C. If the Publisher, in its sole discretion, reasonably deems the Manuscript, and/or any other
materials delivered by the Author to be unacceptable in form and substance, then the Publisher
shall promptly advise the Author by written notice, and the Author shall cure any defects and
generally revise and correct the Manuscript and/or other materials to the reasonable satisfaction
of the Publisher, and deliver fully revised and corrected Manuscript and/or other materials
promptly after receipt of the Publisher’s notice.
5. Author Changes to the Work
The Publisher agrees to allow the Author to makes changes in the Work, at the final proof stage,
costing up to an amount of twenty five dollars ($25), other than for corrections of compositor's
errors. Should the cost of such alterations exceed this sum, the balance will be charged to the
Author's royalty account, provided, also, however, that the Publisher shall promptly furnish to the
Author an itemized statement of such additional expenses, and shall make available the
corrected proofs for inspection by the Author. The Author agrees to correct and return, no later
than ten (10) days after the receipt thereof, proofs provided by the Publisher. The Author agrees
to deliver to the Publisher final revised copy satisfactory to the Publisher in content and form.
6. Style, Price, Promotion, Distribution
A. After consultation with the Author, the Publisher shall have the right, but not the obligation, to
publish and republish
the Work at its own expense in such format and style, cover or covers,
manner, and advertisement, and at such price, as it deems suitable except that the initial
publication shall be with a title and price agreed to by the parties in writing.
B. If the Publisher wishes to make editorial changes or deletions in the Work manuscript, it shall
consult with the Author prior to publication about these changes, and if the Author and Publisher
cannot agree on the changes or deletions, the issues at question shall be decided upon by a
mutually chosen third party.
7. Advertising and Promotion
A. The Publisher shall have the right to use, and to license others to use, the Author’s name,
image and biographical material for advertising, promotion, and marketing of the Work and the
other rights granted under this Agreement provided the Publisher has obtained the Author’s
approval which shall not be unreasonably withheld to said use.
B. The Publisher shall have the right to determine the time, place, method and manner of
advertising, promotion and other exploitation of the Work provided the Publisher has consulted
with the Author, and provided that for any marketing requiring the Author’s presence the Author’s
approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, shall be obtained.
8. Subsidiary Rights
Additional rights which the Author grants to the Publisher in the languages and within the
territories specified above are:
• Reprint of the entire Work and of selections and shortened versions in anthologies and other
volumes;
• first serial rights and reprint of selections and shortened versions in any magazine or
newspaper;
• second serial rights and reprint of selections and shortened versions in any magazine or
newspaper (provided these rights have not been retained by the purchaser of the first serial
rights);
• recording and photographic reproduction of all or part of the text; dramatic (stage, radio,
television, motion picture) commercial visual and/or sound presentation, reproduction, recording;
• developing or licensing for use in all other mechanical or electronic visual and sound
reproducing rights of the Work now known or later invented; and
• reproduction of the text for the physically handicapped.
All sums accruing from the sale of the above rights or materials produced under those rights
shall be divided so that the Author receives fifty percent (50%) of the net amount received. The
Publisher shall have the sole right to negotiate and sign contracts, in regard to these rights,
provided it has consulted with the Author. The Publisher may publish or permit others to publish,
free of charge, such brief selections as it thinks proper to benefit the sale of the Work.
9. Reserved Rights
All rights in the Work now existing or which may hereafter come into existence, except those
hereby specifically granted to the Publisher are reserved to and by the Author for Author’s use.
10. Revision
If at any time while this Agreement continues in force the Publisher deems the publication of a
new edition or revision of the Work desirable, it shall notify the Author, by letter. If the Author is
able and wishes to undertake the preparation of such a new edition, or revision, he shall so
inform the Publisher in writing within thirty (30) days of receipt of said notice. Such new edition or
revision, if undertaken by the Author, shall contain such material as the Publisher and the Author
agree to be appropriate thereto, and the date of delivery of the manuscript thereof shall also be
established by mutual written agreement.
11. Competing Works
The Author agrees that during the existence of this Agreement, Author will not prepare or cause
to be prepared or published in Author’s name or otherwise, any work that shall interfere with or
injure the sale or distribution of the Work herein specified.
12. Force Majeure
The failure of the Publisher to publish or republish any of the Work shall not be deemed to be a
violation of this Agreement or give rise to any right of termination or reversion if such failure is
caused by restrictions of government agencies, labor disputes, or inability to obtain the materials
necessary for its manufacture, or occurs for any other reason beyond the Publisher's control;
and in the event of delay from any such cause, the publication date or reissue may be postponed
accordingly.

More to follow.

Here is the rest of the contract:

13. Royalties
Royalties shall be paid to the Author as follows:
100% of the net revenue, minus
a. $1.5 per ebook copy,
b. $2 per paperback copy,
c. $3 per hardcover copy,
for Publisher to set up and maintain Author platform, book marketing and sales activities.
14. Statements & Payments
A. The Publisher agrees to render statements of account and to make payments in April and
October of each year.
B. Whenever the Author has received an overpayment of monies under the terms of this
agreement, the Publisher may deduct the amount of this overpayment from any sums that may
accrue to the Author from any agreement with the Publisher.
C. The Publisher agrees to sell to Author copies at a discount rather than retail price.
15. Termination & Reversion of Rights
A. If at any time after the expiration of two (2) years from the date of first publication the Publisher
shall determine that there are not sufficient sales of the Work to enable it to continue its
publication and sale profitably, it shall be privileged to discontinue the distribution of the book
through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other channels.
16. Fund Raising
The Publisher is collaborating with the Author in actively raising funds by creating fan community
on CaryPress website. The amount of fans attracted to the Author’s fan community will
determine the level of Publisher involvement in building an author and book brand. Following is
table of services Publisher can help Author with:
Number of fans Tasks
10+ Publish: Kindle and paperback version
100+ Author platform set up to include: website,
blog and social media accounts. Assist
author in setting up a book signing event.
200+ Book video trailer. Depending on book sales,
assist author in mutually agreed marketing
efforts.
17. Successors and Assigns
This agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the executors, administrators,
and assigns of the Author and upon and to the successors and assigns of the Publisher.
18. Term of Agreement
Unless previously terminated as provided herein, this agreement shall continue in force, with
respect to copyright obtained under the laws of any country covered by this agreement, for the
term of the original copyright, renewal, or extension thereof which relates to the Work and which
may accrue to the owner of the copyright under the present or any future law of said country.
19. Waivers
The failure of either party to exercise any of its rights under this Agreement for a breach thereof
shall not be deemed to be a waiver of such rights, and no waiver by either party, whether written
or oral, express or implied, of any rights under or arising from this Agreement shall be binding on
any subsequent occasion; and no concession by either party shall be treated as an implied
modification of the Agreement unless specifically agreed in writing.
20. Amendments
No amendment of, addition to or modification of this Agreement shall be effective unless reduced
to writing and signed by the parties hereto.
21. Laws Applicable
This Agreement shall be interpreted according to the laws and statutes of the United States of
America and of the State of North Carolina, except that its conflicts of law provisions shall not
apply. Any litigation relating to this Agreement shall be pursued in the Superior Court, State of
North carolina.
22. Severability
In the event one or more clauses of this Agreement are declared invalid, void, unenforceable or
illegal, that shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this Agreement.
23. Entire Agreement
This Agreement sets forth the entire agreement of the parties, and replaces and supersedes any
previous agreement between the parties on the subject, whether oral or written, express or
implied.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement the day and year
first above written and shall be interpreted under the laws of the State of Maine.

Looks to me like this contract is totally in favor of the Publisher.

Yay, they get the right to profit off your work for the entire life of its copyright and you get some vague amount of money per unit sold!

I am retired but spent 40 years as an accountant. My professional advice with any contract is to have a lawyer review it carefully before you sign...

This is a very one-sided contract in favor of the publisher, PLEASE find a lawyer familiar with author/publisher contracts. If I have read this correctly, this contract gives them ownership of everything you ever write and if the book sells for less than their fee, you will be paying them.

This is an important step in your career, don't assume anything. Get professional advice.

If you are curious you can also go to many reputable publishers' websites and check out their standard contract - many have a sample available or by request.

It looks like you'll have nothing and they'll have everything, and you can't even sue them to get it back without paying all of their court expenses. Let's add these people to 'the list' wherever that is.

As a former paralegal who did contracts, I agree wholeheartedly with the person who advised having an attorney look over this contract. I have a problem with them having an exclusive right to your work for the term of the copyright (7 years, I think) and any periods of renewal, but they can decide to stop publishing/promoting if it isn't selling. You might as well just give them the book because you wouldn't be able to sell it to anyone else -- ever.

I have also agree with the post about self-publishing. You can do it all with Amazon, Createspace and Smashwords and the proofs don't cost anything if you download them as pdf files, which is what I did. Be advised though that B&N won't carry a POD book in their stores. The books can't be returned if they don't sell. Your book will show up on their website, but not in their stores.

Thank you for the wonderful advice, everyone! I am very grateful for all of the support.

Lauren wrote: "Okay, everyone. I just received the contract. I have pasted part 1 below. Please let me know your thoughts!


COLLABORATIVE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT (hereinafter called the Agreement)..."

Ooo Emmm Geee! Run run run!

Rather than go with an obscure publisher with a suspicious contract, you should probably self publish. The result will probably be same, since they're requiring you to do your own publicity anyway, and you'll have full control of your work.

"The Author’’s side (dependent of amount of fans attracted):
1. Submission of the Work in its complete form
2. Participate in following mutuallyagreed
marketing activities:
Social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc Email marketing
Website and blog updates Local book signing events
Gathering book reviews (please add more activities here)"

S. wrote: "Lauren wrote: "Okay, everyone. I just received the contract. I have pasted part 1 below. Please let me know your thoughts!


COLLABORATIVE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT (hereinafter called..."

Good news: We set the new standard for publisher's eBook contracts (See http://akwbooks.com/authors/terms.php).

Bad news: We're currently closed for new submissions.

Thank you for the update, Al!

Just to update everyone, I responded to the contract offer e-mail and declined their "representation." Thanks again for all of the wonderful input! My story (and its rights) are safe!

Yeah, standard "life of the copyright" is your lifetime PLUS 75 years. Definitely not a good deal.

Glad you got the help you were looking for!

Thank you, Judy!