Print

Print
Mark,

Here the advent of digital print hasn't really benefitted the publisher.  Some editors are paying up to £4 a book from Lulu, and selling at cost, or damn near it.  Most of the magazine publishers I know make a loss of £50 - £75 a month, like I say.  But, God bless them, they are doing it for the love of the work.  

Fortunately, I have my own digital set up and a Christian Publisher that does all my colour printing.  

Alec.

Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2011 12:01:36 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Reading fees for poetry manuscript submissions
To: [log in to unmask]

Alec: I don't know what the situation as to costs is in the UK. Here the advent of digital printing has brought costs way down, because there are no advantages to paying for larger print runs than one can sell and then for storage costs.

But I understand. The return on books and journals has always been slim. I can give you a quick take on books (I haven't published a journal since 1975). They're generally priced at about 6 times printing costs. Most copies don't sell at that price, however. Through a wholesaler the return is more like 45% of cover, a distributor 25-35%, a book store or author purchase (after the free copies) 60%, discounted copies 80%. So let's say the average book sells at 50% of cover. That has to pay for author copies, review copies, postage (publishers pay to send to authors and reviewers, and to wholesalers and distributors).It also has to pay for all pre-press costs. I do all pre-press work myself, gratis. What's left, if you're lucky, is maybe a buck to put toward the next printing. Major publishers manage, and manage to pay salaries, because of economies of scale and much better distribution networks, but they just barely manage.

Which is why the future is ebooks.

Nonetheless, most presses don't charge for submissions and do send author copies. In my case the latter is 10% of the press run.

Best,

Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: Alec Newman
Sent: Nov 4, 2011 11:37 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Reading fees for poetry manuscript submissions

David,

Salt are no longer accepting Unsolicited Manuscripts, unless you enter the Annual prize at £10 a pop.     

Mark,

You make an interesting point about magazine publishers.  However, they are having a stiff time at the moment.  

Most of the really important magazines are run as an expensive hobby by groups or individuals.  These have a circulation of about 50.  Editors who publish quarterly were putting about £50 of their own money a month into the venture in the Winter of 2009.  However, for some magazine publishers, the costs of printing have increased 3 fold.  Also, the cost of postage has shot up. This isn't taking into account the fact that the cost of living has become ridiculous.  So, magazine publishing as a hobby has become untenable, with costs rising from £50 a month to £75, whilst the kids need shoes and feeding.  

The magazine editor is faced with a stark choice: publish fewer poets to cut down on the costs of contributor copies, and only publish domestic poets to cut down on postage; or keep the magazine inclusive and offer subscriber copies at a discount.

Obviously, if more people subscribed to magazines, the magazined would be able to afford to send out author copies.  But, unfortunately, none of us can afford to subscribe to magazines at the moment, because food and fuel cost so much.

Alec.

 

> Date: Fri, 4 Nov 2011 14:49:29 +0000
> From: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Reading fees for poetry manuscript submissions
> To: [log in to unmask]
>
> Good point.
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> Sent: Nov 3, 2011 7:39 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Reading fees for poetry manuscript submissions
>
>
> I have no truck with any of this. It came up recently on the wompo list, to almost universal condemnation. There are also presses and journals that don't send a free contributor's copy (but give a 40% discount). It's real simple--if you can't afford to publish books don't publish books.
>
> Mark
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tony Frazer
> Sent: Nov 3, 2011 7:39 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Reading fees for poetry manuscript submissions
>
> Salt only charge an entry fee for their prize contests. I'm not aware of any UK publishers charging a fee to read a manuscript, but I've heard of it in more than one place in the US.
>
>
> In the US it seems quite common for prizes to govern eventual publication, and there's a fee to enter that, so it amounts to the same thing, yes?
>
>
> Tony
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>
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>
>
> On 3 Nov 2011, at 22:52, Alec Newman wrote:
>
>
> David,
>
> That's a bloody good idea. How much can I charge?
>
> Salt do that thing once a year where you pay £10 to have your manuscript considered.
>
> Alec
>
>
>
> > Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2011 22:35:24 +0000
> > From: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Reading fees for poetry manuscript submissions
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > I’ve noticed that some U.S. poetry publishers charge a “reading fee” to look at poetry manuscript submissions. Do some UK poetry publishers also do this?
> >
> > I would only be willing to pay a reading fee if a manuscript I submitted would be guaranteed publication on that basis...only joking!