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Manuscript Submissions to Goblin
Fern Press, Inc.
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We are currently accepting manuscripts
in the following areas:
Memoirs
Self-development / Personal Development
How-to books
Mysteries
Please submit your manuscripts according to the manuscript
submission guidelines below and be sure to include a detailed
book proposal. We will read the first three chapters
at no charge to determine editorial needs and fit with our
editorial calendar.
If you would like a full manuscript review
to determine commercial viability of your writing, along
with a first edit, please contact our office directly. A
Goblin Fern Press manuscript review includes a written assessment
of your manuscript's editorial strengths and areas that
need improvement. It's important that you provide us with
a completed book proposal, for that will help guide the
review in terms of audience, markets, style, and your aspirations
for your book.
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Step 1: Have a manuscript. If your
manuscript is not complete yet, we can offer valuable input through
our workshops and other author
services
Step 2:
Think about the risk involved with publishing. With traditional
publishing, it normally takes a few thousand dollars to compose
the material in a professional, aesthetically pleasing manner.
It costs a few thousand more to produce enough books to make a
profit after distribution and marketing costs are met. These risks
must somehow be overcome by the author, the publisher, or through
a shared effort. A healthy publishing contract will balance the
risk vs. reward for both parties.
Print-On-Demand
technology can change this scenario for low-volume production.
Be prepared to answer questions about what you,
the author, can do personally (i.e., marketing) to either reduce
the risk and help reap the rewards of publication. If you need
help marketing your book, Goblin Fern Press, Inc. offers marketing
kits at an additional cost.
Step 3: Decide how you would like
to have your book published. There are several different options:
Step 4: Write a book
proposal. You can get started by printing out our Guide
to Writing a Book Proposal. Be sure to include information
from steps 1-3. A good book proposal does these things:
- Gives an example of what condition your work is in currently,
and states what you would like to have at final production.
We use this to estimate the composition costs of the book.
We can also get an idea of your talent from a synopsis
and sample chapters.
- Identifies the target market of your book. The more
keenly focused your target market is, the more effective
any efforts will be to reach that market. In the opposite
extreme, a target market of "everyone" will render marketing
efforts nearly useless. "Everyone" should never be your
target audience.
- Compares and contrasts your book with other books of interest
to your market. This gives us an idea of the competitiveness
of your book idea. Seventeen new titles are published
every hour in America alone. It would be well worth your
while to do intense research on your competition.
- Tells us something about you, your experience, your personality,
and your credentials. You, the author, as a person, are
the most important driving force behind the first thousand
books sold. This is a critical part of a book proposal
because it gives us a feel for the marketability of YOU.
- Makes a good sales pitch. Remember, those thousands of dollars
of risk must be paid by someone. If you are unable to cover
or reduce that risk yourself, you'll need to effectively convince
someone else to take the risk.
Step 5: Download, print, and fill
out the Author Marketing Questionnaire.
There are a lot of questions in this form, and it will take a
considerable amount of time to complete. We guarantee this will
be time well invested, and it indicates to us your commitment
to the project. No matter what happens with your book, its success
will be enhanced if you have researched and prepared answers to
these questions. Attending our Book Marketing
101 workshop will further enhance your book's success.
Step 6 (optional): Fill out a
non-disclosure agreement
(NDA). This ensures the privacy of your work while it
is under consideration and production. This agreement is
not necessary, though you may feel more secure with it.
Goblin Fern Press, Inc. is willing to sign this agreement
with any author.
Step 7: Submit your material.
Mail your manuscript, NDA,
book proposal, guidelines
for manuscript submission (pdf) and marketing
questionnaire to [email protected]
Step 8: Follow-up. Goblin Fern Press,
Inc. will send you a letter acknowledging the material you sent
us within 14 business days of receipt. This does not preclude
you from contacting us as well (toll-free 1-888-670-2665). Assertiveness
is a valuable and marketable author trait.
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