| Our Philosophy
We will strive to produce great reading material.
We are committed to providing well-written, quality, affordable books.
We will strive to provide an accurate rating for each book.
We believe books can be both enjoyable and meaningful without the intrusions of excessive foul language, immoral content, or extreme gratuitous violence.
And though we address both adult and children's themes, our books will be family-friendly, only occasionally passing over into the PG-13 realm for intense scenes (but minimal sexuality). An R-rated book is not out of the question, though we will strive to keep it within reasonable bounds.
Our Guidelines
During our submission month ONLY (next in January, 2011), send us a full book proposal which includes your marketing plan (how you will "push" your book) as well as your author platform (who you know and how you plan to get word of you and your book out to readers), and three sample chapters. If, after having read your material, we want more, we'll let you know. Either way, we'll get back to you in a reasonable amount of time (most likely 6-8 weeks, if not sooner). Visit our contact page for address specifics.You can find in-depth information on how to write a winning book proposal in our September, 2010, book release authored by Terry Burns: A Writer's Survival Guide to Getting Published, available here.Our SpecificsIf we love your book, we'll offer you both a very small monetary advance (pittance, really) and a contract outlining royalties (higher than most). Then we jointly market the finished product, with most of the marketing up to the author, per most publishers today. Of course, those are the short-strokes; the real McCoy is a little bit more in-depth.~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
LIFE ON THE MAYFLOWER (A Pilgrim's Hymn)
Fare thee well, dry land--
It's life on the Mayflower,
God, gold, hardtack and gruel.
The lines have been cast
And the sails are a billowin'.
Come swift to the Promised Land,
Fairer than jewels.
Lonely days go by
On this life on the Mayflower;
Few pilgrims to start with,
Not many now too.
But the Captain, he says,
"Hang on 'till we sees it;
Dry land'll be coming,
Be coming right soon!"
Stormy days sometimes
At sea on the Mayflower.
Get knocked around, jostled down,
Seasick and blue.
But we're always still sailin'
No matter the weather;
With slickers and muckers
He'll see us right through.
When we pull to shore
After life on the Mayflower
Won't be eatin' no hardtack,
But truffles and stew.
And we'll kiss dry ground
And shout "Hallelujah!"
For our Captain has brought us
To Paradise New!
(Copyright 2010, Holly Heisey)
| | Our Mission
Whether we publish one or twenty books a year, we want to publish not necessarily the best known authors, but the best stories we can find, the best poetry, the best inspiration, the best everything.
Our Staff
Ship's Captains: Jerry & Chila Woychik, Publishers Managing Editor: Chila "Maggie" Woychik Crew Member: Lisa Cantrell, Literary Editor
Crew Member: Suzanne Hartmann, Editor Crew Member: Holly Heisey, Sr. Cover Designer, Illustrator
Crew Member: Tony Lavoie, Cover/Logo Designer Crew Member: Lisa Lickel, Editorial Assistant
Crew Member: Naomi Musch, Editor Crew Member: Anna O'Brien, Consulting Illustrator, Cover Designer Crew Member: Susan Price, Marketing/Editing
Crew Member: Liz Rhodebeck, Consulting Editor Crew Member: Aidana WillowRaven, Illustrator, Cover & Book Designer Crew Member: Linda Yezak, Editor
See our full staff page here.
To contact our staff, set up an author or editor/publisher interview, or inquire about a book signing, please email us at: Contact@PortYonderPress.com
From Maggie: My usual phone hours are Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m., central standard time. If I'm not available when you first call, please try again later. You're free to leave a message, and I'll try to get back to you the same day. My number is 319-436-3015. (Since this is my home number, I would appreciate receiving calls only during the hours listed above.)
Phone tips: My personal clients are always free to call me during these hours, as well as potentially new clients, if you need to discuss a project. And though I do welcome calls, and would love to speak with you, please try to say it in an email first if at all possible. If however you feel your question, comment, or idea would be best handled with a phone call, then I'd be glad to chat with you!
Our Publishing Model -- IMPORTANT!
Publishers now have the option of using the older typesetting method of printing or the new, faster, digital printing method. We will almost always use digital printing for our books.
In this way, we, as a small press, don't have the large monetary outlay involved in printing hundreds or thousands of books at one time, then warehousing those books hoping they will sell. Being a small press, we don't have to sell 5,000 copies of a book to stay afloat; we don't have that kind of pressure.
Because we don't warehouse books, the digital printing process is often called Print-On-Demand, or "print-as-needed". (Also called Book On Demand.)
We are not a "vanity" or "subsidy" publishing company. The simple difference is this: we use POD "printers", but are not a POD "publisher". The difference, though simple, is huge.
The fact is, you cannot pay us enough to produce your book. We will only publish a book that meets our stringent criteria, and one we absolutely love and believe in for the long haul.
Port Yonder Press is a regular publishing company taking advantage of the modern conveniences available to publishers today. We believe this will be the near-future of how publishing is done and are excited to be part of this growing trend.
In an effort to help you better understand who we are, here is an excerpt from a recent email to a potential client:...the difference between "Publish on Demand" and "Print on Demand": true Print on Demand is simply the use of digital printing instead of typeset printing, and having those books printed as they are purchased rather than printing them ahead of time and socking them away in a warehouse for possible distribution.Use of a typesetting process demands a minimum print "run" of several hundred or thousand, then warehousing those books in hopes of selling them someday. With digital printing on demand, books are printed as needed, eliminating the need for large inventories sitting in storage. Often the terms (print on demand and publish on demand) are confused or used interchangeably, a sad but true fact. No, we are not a "subsidy" or "vanity" press. If you read the info via the link above ["About Us: Our Publishing Model"], that should help you understand where we're coming from.We certainly don't charge for publishing your book. With all presses / publishers, the initial costs will come out of your first royalties. That's why some costs such as the advance are referred to as an "advance against royalties".Our costs before you begin receiving royalties (not including the advance) will generally run between $400 and $1000, maybe just a bit more depending on cover design, internal illustrations, number of review copies sent, etc. We do not factor in employee salaries.* * *
An additional note: Print on Demand (or, Book on Demand) is a process borne out of necessity due to economically slow times. It has now been embraced by several large publishers -- and more, I believe, in the days to come. As publishers move away from amassing warehouses of books to the modern conveniences of e-books, Espresso Book Machines, and digital printing on demand ("on demand" simply meaning "as needed"), we will be there in the forefront as a small, indie publisher.Foreword Magazine has recently addressed this growing trend in their latest issue. You can read it here.
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