Question: What do you look for in a publisher?

Hi all,

I have some exciting news to share — I’m in the process of setting up an e-publishing company that specializes in M/M erotic romance and M/M erotica!

Yes, there are a lot of these companies already in existence, but I think this is a great time to enter the market. A number of small presses have closed down for one reason or another, but what it essentially comes down to, I believe, is that these companies (a) weren’t able to keep up with evolving trends and technology in e-publishing, and/or (b) set up their businesses in an unsustainable way, which led to financial difficulties, and/or (c) emphasized quantity over quality in acquiring books, leading to poorly-produced books.

My new publishing company, which is still without a finalized name, will operate on a profit-sharing model. This means that no one gets paid until the books sell — the editors and the company get a share of royalties, rather than being paid up-front. This means there is no financial overhead on a title and the risk is minimized. Author royalties would be set at 40%, which is competitive within the industry.

While I’m still a ways away from establishing the publishing company — though I hope to do it by the end of the year — I do have some questions for you.

If you’re an author: What do you look for in a publishing company? What would make you submit to one company versus another?

If you’re a reader: What draws you to a publishing company’s selection? (Or do you even notice a publisher when you purchase M/M books, and are rather focussed on the book itself?)