WOW: Welcome, Jessica, we are excited to talk to you today about Penner Publishing. Let's just start out with some facts about your company. First, is this a traditional, royalty paying publisher?
Jessica: Yes, we’re a traditional publisher. We will edit, create beautiful genre specific cover art, and distribute our authors books. All books will be released in eBook and print.
WOW: Sounds great! Are you currently accepting submissions? And if so, what types of manuscripts are you looking for?
Jessica: We are open for submissions. What we’re looking for are books driven by strong heroines. Whether that’s romance, women’s fiction, or a genre bender doesn’t matter. These are the stories we’re looking for. We are accepting books from new authors, published authors and agents.
WOW: Strong heroines? I bet we have a lot of writers with those type of characters who read The Muffin! What are some tips for our readers who have something to submit to you? Can you give us a link for submission guidelines, too, please?
Jessica: Please include a polished query letter, a synopsis, and your full manuscript. We’d like to know what your book is about and whether it’s for us. http://www.pennerpublishing.com/?page_id=11
WOW: What makes Penner Publishing different than other small publishing houses?
Jessica: Penner Publishing is different because we’re an advance paying publisher. Many small presses have forgone advances, some in favor of higher royalties, but not all. We strongly believe a publisher needs to invest in an author and their story. If there’s little investment, there is sometimes little incentive for a publisher to market the book. I’ve met many authors who have written five or ten books for a publisher with little remuneration. We strongly believe that for the arts to be a strong and positive influence in our society, artists have to be paid.
WOW: We agree! Thank you for paying artists for their work! I also noticed on your website that you are interested in hiring some editors. What positions are open and how do qualified people apply? Are these work from home positions?
Jessica: We are nearly fully staffed. But we are still looking for a few editors. These are work-from-home independent contractor positions. The editors we’ve hired, and the editors we seek to work with, have substantial industry experience whether that’s with other publishing houses or with agents. We are looking for men and women who love books and reading, first and foremost, but also want to bring out the best in author’s stories and are eager to share those stories with readers.
WOW: Anything else you'd like to add?
Jessica: We are excited to join this new and changing world of publishing. We ask authors and readers to keep an eye out for announcements about our 2015 and 2016 lists.
WOW: We definitely will. Thank you so much for talking with us today! Muffin readers--if you have a question or comment for Jessica, now is the time to ask!
5 comments:
Penner sounds excited to work with authors--and seems to understand their value! Thanks for sharing, Margo!
Now if only I wrote what they're looking for...
I know, this sounds amazing! :) I don't write what they are looking for either. But hopefully some of our WOW! readers do and have a manuscript ready.
Thanks for the information, Margo! I'm sure they'll have a terrific response to this.
Margo, I sent an ms to Penner, and they requested submission of my two other novels. This response was very exciting, of course, and I am preparing the submissions. But why can't I find any information on Penner except their own description of themselves? I am aware of the folks attempting to make money off of eager writers who want to publish and sell, and a little suspicious of this company. Do you have any info on past performance? Their site seems to favor hunks and heated romance stories. I don't write that sort of novels. Comment? Jo Barney
Hi Jo ~ Penner is a brand new publisher who is actively building their 2015 and 2016 lists--focusing on women's fiction and romance. So they have yet to publish their first title.
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