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neilmarr · 08-14-2010, 03:38 AM

***Someone like Neil, who's doing so as a commercial publisher, necessarily has a different agenda from someone such as myself, who's doing so purely for personal pleasure***

True. But at our low level in the big game, Harry, you might be surprised by how much we actually do share in terms of our motivation.

After ten years' hard slog and with entirely personal financing from our own shallow pockets, for instance, we have only this year reached the stage where income above re-investment in new titles and technology has started to cover basic overheads -- not salaries, you understand, just things like new and expensive software, some necessary new working hardware and some of our heavy broadband costs.

Even the author with the lowest royalty payments on our books will have made more from BeWrite Books than I ever have -- and I've worked at it for between twelve and sixteen hours, seven days a week (with breaks only for hospital stays -- mabe a long lunch on Christmas Day) since the turn of the millenium.

My son (an IT pro) and I started BeWrite.net as a-non commercial writing site for developing authors, by the way. After the BeWrite Community (unique in that all 4,000,000 words posted had been freely and professionally edited) gathered over 3,000 members, we started to actually publish simply because we felt some of our best authors were getting a tough break in the mainstream. For thirty-odd years previously, my own writing had kept my family and I in some style.

Like you, Harry, it's a matter of more for love than money. And we're by no means the only small house struggling against the odds and forever optimistic. We've just survived longer than most (few see out their first year).

Good intentions ain't enough, though, Harry. Authors need more than our commitment and encouragement; some commercial success in return for their trust is understandably and rightly necessary, so we never stop trying and improving. And, yep, that involves putting a fair monetary value on their work, by way of a cover price, and doing all we can to promote and sell it for them. So far -- touch wood -- never an unhappy camper.

All power to your elbow, Harry. Cheers. Neil

08-14-2010, 03:38 AM	#38
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	*Someone like Neil, who's doing so as a commercial publisher, necessarily has a different agenda from someone such as myself, who's doing so purely for personal pleasure* True. But at our low level in the big game, Harry, you might be surprised by how much we actually do share in terms of our motivation. After ten years' hard slog and with entirely personal financing from our own shallow pockets, for instance, we have only this year reached the stage where income above re-investment in new titles and technology has started to cover basic overheads -- not salaries, you understand, just things like new and expensive software, some necessary new working hardware and some of our heavy broadband costs. Even the author with the lowest royalty payments on our books will have made more from BeWrite Books than I ever have -- and I've worked at it for between twelve and sixteen hours, seven days a week (with breaks only for hospital stays -- mabe a long lunch on Christmas Day) since the turn of the millenium. My son (an IT pro) and I started BeWrite.net as a-non commercial writing site for developing authors, by the way. After the BeWrite Community (unique in that all 4,000,000 words posted had been freely and professionally edited) gathered over 3,000 members, we started to actually publish simply because we felt some of our best authors were getting a tough break in the mainstream. For thirty-odd years previously, my own writing had kept my family and I in some style. Like you, Harry, it's a matter of more for love than money. And we're by no means the only small house struggling against the odds and forever optimistic. We've just survived longer than most (few see out their first year). Good intentions ain't enough, though, Harry. Authors need more than our commitment and encouragement; some commercial success in return for their trust is understandably and rightly necessary, so we never stop trying and improving. And, yep, that involves putting a fair monetary value on their work, by way of a cover price, and doing all we can to promote and sell it for them. So far -- touch wood -- never an unhappy camper. All power to your elbow, Harry. Cheers. Neil Attached Images Last edited by neilmarr; 08-14-2010 at 06:12 AM. Reason: darned keyboard-generated typos.