Welcome to the L&L Dreamspell Publishing Reality Check

If you don't like to hear the "Naked Truth" then click away from this page and continue searching for an agent or another publisher. Sorry to say, the world of publishing is changing, bookstores are closing, and "traditional" publishing opportunities with mega advances are shrinking. L&L Dreamspell is a small, traditional press, not a subsidy company - we do not charge authors to publish their work.

If you’ve arrived here as an author, then you probably have questions about the small, independent press experience. If you’ve done a lot of research then you’ll already know most of what we’re about to tell you.
It’s important for all authors to understand the advantages and disadvantages of small versus large presses before they submit their work for publication. If you’ve spent months or even years working on your manuscript you don’t want to make a hasty decision then later regret that choice. You may be at the beginning of your search for the right publisher, or perhaps you’ve spent years working with agents. You may be about to sell your first manuscript, or already be a multi-published author. Each press is different so we can’t speak for everyone, but there are certain common elements we’ll cover in this article.
We don’t sugarcoat the realities of book publishing. It’s a tough business and things are changing all the time. It’s important for authors to understand what a small independent press like L&L Dreamspell can and cannot do.
To help make authors’ dreams come true we work hard to produce beautiful, well-edited books. Our author team members strategize and work hard to help promote their titles. It doesn’t matter whether you are with a large or small press or choose to self-publish, it’s still the author’s responsibility to market their book. And that’s a big reality check to a lot of newly published authors!
Read on for some comparisons between large and small publishers.

Our company is like a large, New York publisher in many ways:

 We pay royalties to our authors.
 We pay advances.
 We edit our books before they are published.
 We reject books that aren’t ready for publication.
 We reject books that aren’t suitable for our company, even if they are ready for publication.
 We design the interior layout of our books.
 We work to put the best covers possible on our books.
 We sell books printed on paper. We also release in electronic format.
 You will find our books on Amazon, B&N.com and other online outlets.
 You might run into one of our authors signing books in a bookstore.
 We provide author copies.
 We have legal contracts that are binding.
 We send out review copies and do some cooperative promotion with our authors.
 Our authors need to understand promotion basics and promote themselves if they wish their books to do well.
 Like larger publishers, we are reluctant to work with authors who have an attitude or are unable to read and understand our submission guidelines. We are also reluctant to work with authors who demonstrate a poor understanding of the business of writing and their responsibility toward their own business and product: their books.

There are also some important differences between our company and a large, New York publisher:

 Small press advances are a fraction of what big publishers pay. Also the total sales for each book average in the hundreds rather than the thousands. Another big reality check for new authors is how difficult it is to earn money through writing and publishing books. It’s rare for any author, even those with a big press, to earn a lot of money, let alone make a living at it. Especially if they write fiction.
 Our books have a longer “shelf” life than a New York published book, which means our authors have time to build a readership. Your books don’t have to prove themselves with a certain number of sales in a short time period. So while sales numbers are smaller, the books stay in print for years rather than months.
 While both small and large press authors have to promote themselves and their books to make money, we give our authors more time to build a readership and contract for further books based on quality and not sales figures. If your first book with a large press doesn’t have a good “sell through” number then they may not contract any more of your manuscripts.
 We allow and even welcome input from the author on cover copy and cover art.
 Small, independent presses have a more difficult time placing books in traditional bookstores. This has to do with bookstore policy and not book quality. We wish there was a level playing field for small press authors, but the way the industry is currently run, it’s not practical for us to try to compete with the big publishers. Without knowing the facts and figures involved it’s often difficult for new authors to understand why we can’t print tens of thousands of books and have distributors get them into every store in the country. It is all about book returns – another major reality check. The publishing industry as a whole continues to follow the plan set up during the Great Depression, allowing unlimited returns by bookstores. When independent small presses try to behave like large New York presses and order massive print runs they often get buried in debt through book returns. Then they go out of business. We are cautious and know we cannot play in the big league. We plan to stay in business for a long time!
 We pay royalties quarterly and do not hold “reserves against returns” – though we do deduct any returns from later royalties. A book published with a big house may never earn out its advance and may have a large percentage of returns, effecting the author’s chances of placing future titles with the same press.
 We contract only for the rights we will use and will negotiate our contacts on a case by case basis.
 We are more flexible about books and projects that don’t fit the New York criteria.
 We never tell our authors what they should write. Big publishers may only want manuscripts that fit current trends – what they think will bring in the most money. Independent press authors’ titles often appeal to smaller, niche markets. It’s fun for us to discover new, talented authors! But, we are a business and we do strive to sell books…

The Independent Publisher/Author Partnership:
If you understand that you are not just an author, but a small business owner, and that you have an equal responsibility for the success or failure of your book, then you have arrived at the right place! The small press experience is a partnership of equals. We aren’t doing you a favor by publishing your book, nor are you doing us a favor by offering it to us for publication. We ask authors to sign a contract, because we are engaging in a business transaction.

We publish books that we believe in and that we believe will sell. We are in the business of publishing. We are looking for books that tell entertaining stories or share important information, that are ready to submit – i.e. not a first or second draft that you need us to “fix”, and books that have the potential to be of interest to a lot of readers. A book can be well written and entertaining, and only be of interest to a few dozen people. We can’t afford to publish that type of book because we won’t recoup our costs of publishing it – and yes, it does cost us money to publish a book.

As the author, you need to know about and be able to tap into the possible readers for your book for it to be successful. Best case, you have a marketing plan ready before you submit to any publisher.

Our job is to make sure you have a well-edited book in a well designed and attractive package, that readers can find and purchase without too much difficulty. Anything we do beyond that is a bonus and will be done at our discretion and based on the economic bottom line of our business.

Understand that we reject ninety percent of the material submitted to us because it doesn’t meet the above criteria. We do offer suggestions and hopefully help new authors improve their manuscript so we’ll consider it at a later date. But please be professional if you are rejected – complaining about our decision directly to us or on public forums only further reinforces the wisdom of rejecting your work. Cultivating a professional attitude about this business is at least as important as writing well, if you desire publication. We are not the only publishing company that is reluctant to work with someone who has no understanding of the basics of this business and demonstrates an unwillingness to learn.

Expecting us to change our business model to meet your needs is unrealistic and won’t change how we run our business. If you prefer more control, you should check out self-publishing. If you’ve tried self-publishing and aren’t happy, that’s not our fault. You still have to promote your book whether you self-publish or if it was published through a small or large press.

Our job is to run our publishing business the best way we can and make decisions that support our goals, so we can keep publishing books!

Common misconceptions about small presses:

Misconception: I want to submit to a small, independent press because they can get me into every bookstore in the country and into some in other countries.

Reality: Brick and mortar bookstores have become increasing hostile to shelving small, independent press books. There are many reasons for this, the main one being that their largest clients (New York publishers) don’t like the competition of small press books. Since they pay for shelf space, they are able to apply pressure on bookstores.

Misconception: I want to submit to a small, independent press because my book will release sooner than a New York published book.

Reality: When a book releases depends on a variety of factors, including edits and publishing schedules – dates are always subject to change.

Misconception: I want to submit/don’t want to submit to a small, independent press because my book is perfect and they won’t edit it.

Reality: We vigorously edit the books we accept for publication. If we reject a book, it usually means it requires too much editing to make it publication ready. You are, of course, at liberty to disagree with us and submit elsewhere.

Misconception: I want to submit to a small, independent press because they will promote my book and pay for me to go on a signing tour.

Reality: We are a small press because we are small. Even large publishers save their promotion/advertising dollars for authors with a known track record.

Misconception: I want to submit to a small, independent press because I won’t have to promote at all. They’ll do that for me, while I stay at home and write.

Reality: If you don’t promote, you won’t sell books or make money.

Misconception: I’ll submit here, because a small, independent will publish anything.

Reality: We only accept a small percentage of the books submitted to us. Authors don’t pay us to be published. They have to meet our publishing criteria.

If we sound harsh it’s because book publishing is a tough business. And it’s changing all the time. Bookstores are going out of business at an alarming rate and they have to focus on making money. Small press authors don’t bring in large crowds and generate bulk sales so the big chain stores now exclude nearly all small press and self-published books. It didn’t used to be this tough, and maybe things will change again, but for now, bookstore placement for small press titles is possible but highly unlikely. If you have your heart set on seeing your book in the major chain bookstores then you’ll need to pursue an agent and a large New York publisher for your manuscript. This is a huge and unwelcome reality check for most new authors – but that’s life in the publishing business!
With around half of all books now being sold on-line, and Ebooks finally becoming mainstream with the creation of many new Ebook reading devices, many savvy authors know that pursuing venues other than big box bookstores is the way of the future. Both large and small bookstores are disappearing at an alarming rate. Independent presses and their authors who target on-line and niche markets are already leading the way in the future of book publishing.

If you’ve survived the reality check and want to be on the L&L Dreamspell author team, please visit our publishing pages for complete submission guidelines: www.lldreamspell.com/Publishing.htm

No matter what path to publishing you choose we want to wish you the best of luck – and keep writing!

L&L