Free Book Publishing

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Wed, 2002-02-06 00:22

A company offering me free proofreading and editing services (if they published my book) contacted me through ICQ last week.
As you can imagine, I was a bit sceptical to say the least.
Nothing is free right? What’s the catch?
But out of curiosity I visited their website, which incidentally is at:
http://www.virtualbookworld.com/authors.asp

Their specifications are that you must have written your manuscript in English, it needs to be a work of fiction and it has to be a bare minimum of 30,000 words.

Still thinking that this was all a bit dubious, I looked into it a bit further.
They give you help and advice on line through email and ICQ; I spoke someone calling himself Lewis (very helpful guy actually). He explained to me that the company was set up to help writers get published, without the usual pitfalls. He also told me that the reason for not charging the author was the idea of their management, they cover their editing and publishing costs by having their royalty scheme on a sliding scale, instead of charging the writer up front. So it’s not really *FREE* they just don’t charge you for it.

A bit more convinced, I decided to give it a go. I had nothing to loose, right? I thought that they would want me to submit my story to them, but that is not how they operate. I had to write a 500-word (min) synopsis about my work accompanied by a 300-word (min) biography. This is a test; I guess it’s to see if you can string a sentence together. On the strength of this submission they decide to either decline your work or accept it to the next level. The next level is what they call a viability inspection, this is to see if your work is suitable or good enough to be published, if it is they then proofread and edit your manuscript and sell the finished book from their website.

I’ve now been converted from a sceptic, although they declined my story on the viability inspection, they did give me lots of great advice on how to improve my story line and characters’ depth. So now I’m working like crazy to get my story good enough to submit to them again. I’m telling everyone about this great opportunity and a friend of mine has actually been accepted all the way through and is being published in March, good for her that’s what I say.

The company is called Virtual Book World and the author’s submission section is at: http://www.virtualbookworld.com/authors.asp

Good luck,

Greg

Sun, 2002-06-16 19:18

senwad

Anybody that would read an e-book to start with, can read for free at any number of writing sites like this one. I can't imagine that there's any money in it at all. The publishing game is a nightmare. There are so many people with the same degree of talent, clamouring after every publishing house's attention, that it's a wonder anybody gets published. When I get enough material together, I'm just going to pay a printer to run me off a few hundred copies, then do the rounds. I don't care if it doesn't pay, at least a few hundred people will get to read what I've written, and it'll be in solid form, not virtual.

Wed, 2002-02-06 01:03

Hugh Jelly Pistoff

I love the wording ..... "So, if we only manage to sell 25,000 copies of your book you will receive £43,500 in royalties." the implication being that they will sell more of course. these are virtual books. ... pdf files. they are not sold anywhere other than from the virtual site. you do not even get to place your stuff on amazon or the book store which will always drum up a few purchases. they sell the books at £5 and give you £1 of that for the first 1000 copies. the scale rises thereafter but the liklihood is that 1000 copies is all they will sell. so they make 4000 per author for doing bugger all other than hosting a website costing very little (£50 a month tops?), take no risk but coin it in. good luck to your friend greg. get back to us when he makes his first £5000. yes, you caught me on a bad day. perhaps jeanne is right on that other thread in which she says i need rage counselling. depends how much blancmange they offer really.

Wed, 2002-02-06 18:54

Andrea

Don't think you should knock it 'til you've tried it. After all, if it don't cost you anything, what've you got to lose (as Jan Jop famously said)?

Wed, 2002-02-06 19:03

Andrea

Yep, had a look - a very new site. But why not? If you spend the rest of your ('one's', so as not to get any flack here) life turning up 'one's' nose at everything, on the basis that they're not offering you a zillion for your 'blockbuster' or work of literary genius, 'one' is not going to progress very far, is 'one'? A sure-fire way to keep everything gathering dust under the bed, methinks...

Thu, 2002-02-14 15:11

muzzy

Thier e-mail address does not exist be careful, I have tried to contact them by e-mail, by 3 diff servers.

Thu, 2002-02-14 15:11

muzzy

Thier e-mail address does not exist be careful, I have tried to contact them by e-mail,

Thu, 2002-02-14 17:37

andrea

Hmmm, strange. Didn't try the email addy. P'raps you're better off with someone a bit more well-established, Greg, like e-booksline.co.uk...

Sat, 2002-02-16 11:12

muzzy

OK got one through in the end.

Wed, 2002-02-20 12:34

#10

Miles Fotherington

What have you got to lose? Well, for a start, rights to something you've slaved your guts out on for months. How long to they get to keep the right to 'publish' your book? You have to ask how many people are going to want a book in pdf format... i know I wouldn't.

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