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In today's global media environment, book publishing runs
the gamut from multinational conglomerates to print-on-demand
and self-publishing. Authors have a bewildering array of venues
for their work. How do you even know which direction to start?
Should you invest the time and energy in seeking a major
publisher for your manuscript? Certainly, if your book is
likely to appeal to a wide national and international market,
and if you're willing to gamble that it will attract readers
in the tens or hundreds of thousands. Traditional publishing
houses are responsible for bringing most of the world's great
books to bookstores, libraries, and online channels. They
invest enormous amounts of money, talent, and faith in a process
that yields many new titles, among them a few bestsellers
and critical successes each year.
Perhaps your project is a good match for a boutique or university
press. If it's thoroughly researched, well written, distinctive,
suitable for literary or academic readers, and likely to sell
copies in the thousands—there are respected smaller publishers
or specialty houses that also publish excellent books. These
houses generally publish on a standard royalty basis but pay
little or no advance (university presses often accept subventions
to underwrite unusual production costs as well, though availability
of subvention funds does not influence the decision to publish).
But what happens to books that are just as worthy of publication—that
hold interest for a small but dedicated core of readers? Such
works often fall between the cracks of the publishing system.
They may be too narrow to attract an agent or a commercial
house. They may not be right for the lists of boutique or
academic imprints. Their authors may resort in desperation
to vanity presses or attempt self-publishing with mediocre—or
worse—results. After all, new technologies make layout and
printing a simple matter, right?
The most critical element in this latter mix is knowledge
(the publisher's, not just yours). Consider the editorial
process. Far too many books with otherwise admirable merits
reach readers without undergoing the vital stages of content
reviewing, developmental editing, copyediting, fact-checking,
and proofreading. A book that skips these key processes too
often becomes an embarrassment to its author and its "publisher."
Or far too little attention is paid to functional and attractive
design, or to effective packaging and marketing.
It's true. There are on-demand publishers that allow you
to pick and choose, from a menu, which services you wish to
pay for. It sounds like a great way to get your work into
print with a modest investment. But sad experience also proves
that it may only amount to a fast way to produce a bad book.
Winoca Press is different. Our standards of publishing quality:
- Full-service manuscript editing, copyediting, and assistance
with proofreading
- Functional and attractive design
- State-of-the-art manufacturing: perfect-bound, saddle-stitched,
coil-bound, or casebound formats
- Marketing support, from publicity to Web promotion
Winoca Press is working to bring the best of both worlds-editorial
oversight and author participation-into a new paradigm of
making great books, and we call this approach partnership
publishing. If you are interested in learning whether
your manuscript is a good match for Winoca Press, send us
a brief description at manuscripts@winocapress.com.
For helpful guidelines on preparing manuscripts and queries,
download a pdf version of our manuscript manual.
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