The biggest problem facing new and upcoming artists is the catch-22 that leaves them in the terminal loop of trying to get published. How many rejection letters do aspiring writers receive with the sentiment "Excellent story, but I'm afraid we can't take a chance on publishing your novel at this time because you have not been proven in the market." It is the singlemost frustrating and heartbreakin
g part of the publishing process. You've poured your heart and soul into your first book of short stories, poems, a childrens' book, or your novel (the great American dream, right?) only to be turned away at the gate with this daunting task of proving your market viability without having been published. This is where Gallows Laughter sweeps in out of the darkness to avenge those who have been wronged by the system. We focus on publishing first-time authors and artists, giving them the platform they need to get their work out to all of the biggest retailers and then wait and see what happens. We also provide the author a page here on the Gallows Laughter website to promote him/herself, as well as to post any news announcements on upcoming book readings or any other public events you have planned to market yourself and your writing. Because we are taking a chance on unproven writers and artists, we only deal in eBooks. However, we take your manuscript, prepare it for publication, and then distribute it to all of the major booksellers: Amazon (for Kindle), Apple iBookstore (for iPad), Barnes and Noble (for NOOK), Reader Store (for Sony Reader), Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker & Taylor, and eBookPie. Genre is irrelevant; we publish everything from children's books to horror, short story compilations to romance novels, and everything in beween. We choose five (5) books from the manuscripts we receive during our open submission period, and publish those 5 books every year. Eventually we would like to increase those numbers in order to help other authors as well, but at this time, 5 is the maximum work load our company can handle. When a manuscript is chosen, one of our editors will edit the book for ebook formatting; preparing it for publishing. We will also work with the author on cover art in order to produce an eye-catching design that will attract attention to the book before a word has ever been read by the potential purchaser. When the formatting and cover design are complete, the manuscript is converted into the various eBook formats required by the particular vendor. All of this is done at NO COST to the author. Where we make our money is on a percentage of the sales price of the book. Before getting discouraged, consider this:
On a hardback print novel, after the vendor's fees, the publisher's fees, the literary agents fees, etc., for a $19.99 book, the average novelist receives about $0.70. In the eBook world, that number changes dramatically, and the author's potential income is improved drastically. If an eBook is put on the market at $9.99, the vendor receives 7% (this amount varies by vendor) ($0.70), Gallows Laughter deducts their fees of 30% ($2.79), and the author would pocket $6.50 per every book sold. That's out of the ballpark compared to the amount they would have received from a traditional publisher of print novels.
$6.50 vs $0.70
Not much of a decision, is it? That, and Gallows Laughter takes care of all of the nightmare of knowing how to format a book for epublishing, cover design, and offers a platform and visibility to the author to promote themselves and their other writings as well. So what are you waiting for? Come grow with us!
