Authors seeking an alternative to traditional publishers face an array of choices, including small presses, the major self-publishing platforms, and “hybrid” publishers that seek financing from the authors they publish.
Vector Books offers a new kind of partnership with authors. Like a traditional publisher, we curate our list, choosing the books we publish. Like a traditional publisher, we edit the books we publish. Unlike a “hybrid” publisher, we never will ask an author to make a payment of any kind, or to take any financial risk on their books beyond the treasure and time they have already invested in creating their manuscript. On the other hand, we do not increase our own financial risk by the payment of advances.
Cash receipts of sale received by Vector Books (i.e., the sales price actually paid to us net of amounts retained by distributors and/or retailers) are applied as follows:
First, to reimburse Vector Books for the out-of-pocket costs it has incurred in bringing the book to market (payments to external copy-editors, printers, distributors, etc.). “Out of pocket costs” do not include the value of services provided directly by Vector Books itself (such as editorial, marketing, overhead, etc).
Once those costs have been paid, the balance of receipts (net of the standard reserve and offset for returns) are split 60% to the author and 40% to the publisher).
If net sales receipts received by us on a book are insufficient to compensate us for our out-of-pocket costs, we will bear this loss.
We love the physical book. Each work we publish appears in a hard cover or paperback edition, in addition to e-book form.
We view each publication project as a partnership. We expect all of our authors to be passionate about their work and to work hard to publicize and market their books. We are a small firm and do not maintain an in-house marketing function.
Of course, all authors retain copyright in their work. You will assign to us the right to publish your book (in any form) worldwide in English and in translation. If you or we succeed in selling other rights (audio books, film, etc.), we will split the proceeds 60% to the author and 40% to us.