Comments on: POD Practices, Part 3: You Gotta Fight For Your Right http://www.burnzpost.com/2007/04/30/pod-practices-part-3-you-gotta-fight-for-your-right/ burning passions, burning opinions, simply juicy Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:51:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 By: Stace Johnson http://www.burnzpost.com/2007/04/30/pod-practices-part-3-you-gotta-fight-for-your-right/#comment-156 Stace Johnson Tue, 01 May 2007 19:24:26 +0000 http://www.burnzpost.com/2007/04/30/pod-practices-part-3-you-gotta-fight-for-your-right/#comment-156 At Flying Pen Press, the publication rights will revert to the author if we publish the book and it is not a success. However, as Scott Humphries (our senior editor) points out, the work will have been improved by having gone through a complete editing process. Unlike vanity presses, FPP assumes the majority of risk in publishing a work, so it's in our best interest to make sure the work is polished before publishing it. At a vanity press, the author assumes the risk by paying for the product to be printed. That's disrespectful to the author, and is not the philosophy that we intend to follow with Flying Pen Press. I'm not exactly sure what the criteria is for "success;" I will try and find out that information and get back to you. I think I can speak for the company in saying that it won't take seven years to determine whether a book is successful, though. :-) At Flying Pen Press, the publication rights will revert to the author if we publish the book and it is not a success. However, as Scott Humphries (our senior editor) points out, the work will have been improved by having gone through a complete editing process. Unlike vanity presses, FPP assumes the majority of risk in publishing a work, so it’s in our best interest to make sure the work is polished before publishing it. At a vanity press, the author assumes the risk by paying for the product to be printed. That’s disrespectful to the author, and is not the philosophy that we intend to follow with Flying Pen Press.

I’m not exactly sure what the criteria is for “success;” I will try and find out that information and get back to you. I think I can speak for the company in saying that it won’t take seven years to determine whether a book is successful, though. :-)

]]> By: Stace Johnson http://www.burnzpost.com/2007/04/30/pod-practices-part-3-you-gotta-fight-for-your-right/#comment-159 Stace Johnson Wed, 02 May 2007 21:52:53 +0000 http://www.burnzpost.com/2007/04/30/pod-practices-part-3-you-gotta-fight-for-your-right/#comment-159 As promised, here are the details about rights reversion in the standard Flying Pen Press contract. Basically, FPP contracts to hold the publication rights for 2 years, after which either FPP or the author has the right to terminate the contract. In other words, if an author is not happy with the way FPP is handling his or her book after two years, s/he can take it elsewhere. "Successful" is not the smartest term to use, though. It's more about satisfaction with the relationship. If both parties are satisfied with the book's presentation and sales, the contract is likely to continue past two years. If either party is dissatisfied, the two year option to terminate the relationship comes into play. In that respect, "success" is placed on FPP; if the author is happy with the FPP publishing relationship after two years, we have succeeded in our goal. As promised, here are the details about rights reversion in the standard Flying Pen Press contract. Basically, FPP contracts to hold the publication rights for 2 years, after which either FPP or the author has the right to terminate the contract.

In other words, if an author is not happy with the way FPP is handling his or her book after two years, s/he can take it elsewhere.

“Successful” is not the smartest term to use, though. It’s more about satisfaction with the relationship. If both parties are satisfied with the book’s presentation and sales, the contract is likely to continue past two years. If either party is dissatisfied, the two year option to terminate the relationship comes into play.

In that respect, “success” is placed on FPP; if the author is happy with the FPP publishing relationship after two years, we have succeeded in our goal.

]]> By: Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little http://www.burnzpost.com/2007/04/30/pod-practices-part-3-you-gotta-fight-for-your-right/#comment-166 Nicole J. LeBoeuf-Little Mon, 07 May 2007 23:16:19 +0000 http://www.burnzpost.com/2007/04/30/pod-practices-part-3-you-gotta-fight-for-your-right/#comment-166 Thanks for the update, Stace. That sounds like a thoroughly workable plan--at least to my uneducated ears! Just in case you were worried or I was misrepresenting myself here: 1) If I make any comparison between PublishAmerica and Flying Pen Press, it's only to show how FPP is explicitly stating intentions to do <em>right</em> what PA does emphatically <em>wrong.</em> 2) This series of articles about the POD phenomenon started because FPP got me thinking about POD, but that's what it is--a bunch of hopefully educational meditations on the state of the industry. If this has felt like a very long lecture aimed specifically at you and Debbie and the rest of the FPP team, it's completely unintentional! and 3) I will not be at Heidi's on Wednesday after all. I'm, er, gonna stay home with John and we're gonna listen to Rush get interviewed live on Rockline. OK, that's a lame excuse, but just in case anyone was wondering.... and 4) I should probably take this to email, shouldn't I? Thanks for the update, Stace. That sounds like a thoroughly workable plan–at least to my uneducated ears!

Just in case you were worried or I was misrepresenting myself here:

1) If I make any comparison between PublishAmerica and Flying Pen Press, it’s only to show how FPP is explicitly stating intentions to do right what PA does emphatically wrong.

2) This series of articles about the POD phenomenon started because FPP got me thinking about POD, but that’s what it is–a bunch of hopefully educational meditations on the state of the industry. If this has felt like a very long lecture aimed specifically at you and Debbie and the rest of the FPP team, it’s completely unintentional!

and 3) I will not be at Heidi’s on Wednesday after all. I’m, er, gonna stay home with John and we’re gonna listen to Rush get interviewed live on Rockline. OK, that’s a lame excuse, but just in case anyone was wondering….

and 4) I should probably take this to email, shouldn’t I?

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