OOC -- Looking for a Small Press

[sythyry]

I'm still looking for a small press for Wrath of Trees. (I am not planning to look indefinitely; if I don't find a suitable small press soon enough, I'll take some other approach.) Here are the most promising ones I've turned up.

1. Sofawolf, a reputable furry publisher. I don't know the publishers myself, but we have many friends in common; and they've been around for years. (Disadvantage: Wrath of Trees is more "nonhuman alien" than "furry" per se. The main character has bark, not fur, and the animal aspects of characters are not strong.)
2. EDGE / Tesseract They seem to like some things I'm good at, like unique settings, alien life forms, and magic systems.
3. Swimming Kangaroo
4. Tyrannosaurus Press
5. Sense of Wonder Press
6. Gryphonwood Press
7. Echelon Press

So here's a poll to make things easy. I'd appreciate comments if you have any more details -- or a private note if there's something that shouldn't be quite so public.

And, thanks very much for helping me with this.

[Poll #1408609]

Comments

[kobolds.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately I don't involve myself much with publishers, which is to say I have only ever heard of one of those publishers, and both good and bad things about it.

Sorry that I'm really not of any help here.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I appreciate the help nonetheless!

[quoting-mungo.livejournal.com]

The only small press I'd advise you not to approach isn't even on your list, so you probably know more than I do at this point. I wish you the best of luck, though - I fully intend to purchase this book as well as A Marriage of Insects when I get the whole "disposable income" thing sorted.


-Alexandra

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I don't actually know which one you're talking about. I hope you get an income soon, and that Wrath is available somehow, for selfish and unselfish reasons!

[vik_thor]

I've only heard of SofaWolf, and that in their connection to ursulav's Digger.

I look forward to Wrath of Trees whoever you decide to go with!

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Echelon would be for electronic copies only, which isn't what I want.

[(Anonymous)]

I can't take the poll, since I'm not in live journal, but I'd think that since your characters aren't esp. furry, Sofawolf might not be a good match.

Swimming Kangaroo is an excellent small press. I've been very impressed with their handling of my novel, *Magis, Mensa and Mayhem* (http://www.swimmingkangaroo.com/mensa). Their editors are first rate, and have made me a better writer as well as the books a better book. I got to work very closely with the cover artist and adore the cover. They care very much about their authors and try to help them with their marketing, even to the point of subsidizing them for taking classes on marketing. (www.fabianspace.com - check out Marketing Mentor.) I highly recommend them for someone looking for a small press. Sadly, I don't think they are taking submissions at this time.

I was surprised to see EDGE listed as small press. They are the biggest SF publisher in Canada. Their books are on bookstores shelves.

You might also check out Twilight Times. I have one book out with them and another coming and find Lida, the publisher, to be very professional.

Hope that helps.

Karina Fabian
www.dragoneyepi.net

[lupabitch.livejournal.com]

Just as a heads-up, Immanion Press actually started as a SF publisher; the occult/pagan stuff just got added on later. May be of interest, too, since it's an author-owned (Storm Constantine) and operated company. Submission guidelines are on the website; I don't know a whole lot else besides that about the fiction end of things, but thought I'd mention it.

small presses

[(Anonymous)]

I have never even heard of most of the presses you mention, and I've been in publishing for almost 30 years. Echelon I've heard of only.

That leaves Swimming Kangaroo, which despite its eccentric name, is - in my humble opinion - one of the three top small presses around anywhere. And yes, I have published with them. Without exception I have found SK to be exceptionally honest, honorable, quality oriented and easy to work with. I have published over 18 novels in the last generation, and my experience with Swimming Kangaroo was one of the best. I trust Dindy and her crew implicitly.

In a nutshell, you cannot do better than Swimming Kangaroo.

Janis Susan May

Swimming Kangaroo Books

[(Anonymous)]

Wow! I'm thrilled that SK Books made your short list! I'm even more thrilled to see that no one has heard anything negative about us-- of course, that seems to be because no one has heard of us, but that's okay. No news can be good news.

I want to thank you for considering Swimming Kangaroo. While we are closed to submissions till the first of the year while we see what happens with the economy, I do want to say that we particularly enjoy books that don't always fit into one particular genre. It does sound as though Wrath of Trees might be a good fit for us. Assuming we re-open for submissions in January, we would be happy to consider your book.

Dindy Robinson
Publisher
Swimming Kangaroo Books
Dive into a good book at www.swimmingkangaroo.com

[doctorwednesday.livejournal.com]

Saving this page for my own future reference.

[zeeth_kyrah]

Someone's been doing web searches for mentions...

More on Sofawolf...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

... they do not flinch over edgy topics. They have published some of the best furry drama I've read anywhere. I think they might consider things that are tangentially anthropomorphic, but that would really depend on whether it fits into their publication schedule.

Also, I've worked with them before as a reviewer and occasional contributor, so they'll probably recognize my name. If you tell them I edited the manuscript and was impressed with your storytelling, that might get you some favorable attention.

Re: More on Sofawolf...

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I'm a furry. I don't quite know Sofawolf personally, but you're not the only friend of mine who's involved with them. They've even sold World Tree on their table at cons for us once or twice. They're definitely on my list.

Re: More on Sofawolf...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

Good luck, then.

I think if you had a World Tree novel with mammalian characters, it would be right up their alley. That's worth a thought. *ponder* Or even an anthology.

Re: More on Sofawolf...

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Yup!

Wrath is only marginally in their domain -- their readers would like it (and many of their readers know my name anyways) -- but it doesn't read as furry to me.

Mating Flight would be more appealing to them, I think. It's not exactly furry either, but it's a lot closer to furry style.