THE BOYS' BRIGADE

There is this long-running debate over fees to get published. Never pay to get published! That is a good principle to follow.

Novelty Fiction certainly would not charge an author to publish their work. Nor would we charge them to review, edit, print or promote the manuscript. We would not charge for artwork, not for ISBN numbers or anything else. We may not offer an up front royalty, but there will be no question of the author rendering payment to us, nor about the author being expected to purchase copies of their own books.

By making a deliberate choice to follow these guidelines, Novelty Fiction has distanced itself from the pack of vanity publishers, subsidy publishers, and self-publishing firms out there.

Any manuscript must undergo rigorous line editing prior to publication. Over a 4-months period, our editors will be editing the book up to a publishable standard. Certainly, the book should be virtually flawless, the best that it can be, and something that stands a fair chance of being positively received by book buyers, reviewers, and readers alike.

The trouble with this business model is that Novelty Fiction must reject offhand any manuscript that our editors cannot bring into a publishable standard within 4 months. An editor is not a ghostwriter, coach or anything of that sort; so prior to starting their work, the editors must feel confident that the editing process will go smoothly and be successful. The manuscript will be rejected if it has serious and fundamental flaws such as:

* Weak character development;
* A weak, incoherent, insufficiently developed, or unoriginal plot;
* Poor spelling and grammar, or a weak sentence structure;
* An inelegant writing style (our editors do not rewrite stories);
* Logical flaws that do not have a plausible explanation that readers can accept;
* A suitable length (neither too short or too long);
* Appears to be non-fiction thinly coated as fiction.


The $1000 question: Rejected, what now?

Being a young company, Novelty Fiction is eagerly looking for new material to publish, which makes us more patient and motivated to work with new authors compared with the establishment. So if our editors decline a manuscript on quality grounds, chances are pretty high that other publishers and reputable literary agents will do the same.

If your manuscript has flaws such as those identified above, then you will need to fix them prior to finding publication with Novelty Fiction or other conventional publishers. It is not unusual for a new writer to invest in their own writing career by getting a full manuscript critique, a manuscript assessment or the like, followed by a revision process. We can guide you through this process upon request, or help you find someone who can assist you with bringing your manuscript up to a publishable standard.


Accepted, what's next?

If no such flaws are found, the real editorial decision-making can begin: Namely whether or not the project is suitable to the tastes of our readers and reviewers, and whether Novelty Fiction believes that it will be able to deliver a good service to the author.

Both parties will need to discuss whether we are a good match. How many books will need to be sold over the initial 2-year contract period? What about e-book rights and foreign rights? Is there a marketing plan, and does the author have the time and energy to help with marketing? Certainly, we wouldn't want to sign before these questions have been answered, and neither should you!