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Manuscript Selection
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No
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Kind of Contract
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Non-exclusive
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2+2=5
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Their contract has a number of serious
problems:
- Royalties and discounts are not clearly
defined as part of the agreement (the
information is only provided in their FAQ page,
which is not legally
binding).
- It covers rights in too many formats,
extending to print and all kinds of electronic
media and electronic format.
- It also menitions something about a right to
publish the work "in whole or in part" which
might be interpreted as covering anthologies and
compilations in terms that can be described as
vague at best.
- They reserve the right to modify the
agreement even after it's been signed (authors
can invoke their termination clause but all fees
paid would be lost in this event).
For a more thorough explanation of what this
means (for more info on dangerous clauses check out
Beware
Treacherous Clauses Ahead).
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Distribution
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Unclear, they claim to have a distribution
network but this doesn't seem to be particularly
viable. If you want distribution through
amazon.com, this is done through amazon marketplace
rather than through their main site. This listing
obviously does not extend to other retailers. In a
best case scenario I would describe it as "through
their site and some online
retailers".
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Price Range
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Paperback
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$498.00 in most instances though authors who are
submitting their work as a ready to print PDF must
pay only $99.00
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Hardcover
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$697.00 in most instances. It is unclear whether
this refers to a hardcover or a combo.
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Paperback/hardcover combo
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Color publishing
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Fees start at $699.00 ($499.00 for ready to
print books).
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Royalties
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Royalties are 25% of the retail price for books
sold through their site, royalties through other
channels are 10% of retail price.
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Author's Discount
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The author's basic discount is 30%, but bulk
discounts may reach 70% (for 1,000 copies or
more)
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Breakeven point
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Between 300 and 400 copies (approximation based
on external sales of an average length book, sales
figures may be compromised by their limited
distribution network).
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Basic retail price
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Competitive ($14.99 for a 200 pages book).
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Interior Layout
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They provide you with one or you can supply your
own.
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Cover Options
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One of their templates, or you can supply your
own.
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Choice of Trim Size
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Limited (three posible trim sizes)
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Pros*
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They are reasonably priced if you can supply a
ready to print file.
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Cons*
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They have no real distribution channels as part
of their basic package.
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Royalties and discounts are kind of low.
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Their setup fee is moderately expensive.
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You have very little freedom when it comes to
too many aspects of your book's design (they retain
full right over the book's final format and
pricing).
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There is a very serious problem with their
contract.
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Additional Comments*
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This company has renamed itself twice in a
matter of months. It used to be Great
Unpublished, then it became Global
Book Publisher, now it goes by
BookSurge Publishing (click
here for an explanation of why this
could be a red
flag).
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Take Me To BookSurge
Publishing's homepage
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Take me to the BookSurge
Publishing's Forum
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