A Publishing Revolution?

I thought today I would spend just a little bit of time to tell you about something special that’s happening in publishing. In fact, I want to introduce you to MY publisher – Pentian Publishing!

Pentian, you say. “I’ve never heard of them!” Well, until about a year ago, neither had I.

When I initially went about trying to figure out how to get my first book, The Second Coming, published, I was lost in a morass of internet search information, some of which was useful, but most of which was dross – people seeking my non-existent money to publish my book for me. I was rapidly losing hope of ever seeing my creation published…and then I stumbled across Pentian.

So, who are Pentian and how do they work?

Have you heard of crowd-funding before? Basically put, crowd-funding platforms allow you to put your project up in front of the public (although more often than not, just your family and friends) and asking them to back your project with their money.

Pentian is a crowd-funding publisher – but they do it with a twist.

When I first stumbled across Pentian, it appeared to be totally focused on Spanish speaking books (it is after all based in Spain). I did, however, notice one English title on their list and I wondered if they would consider mine. I duly submitted The Second Coming, and was shocked to receive a positive response from them. Not only, did they like my book, but they were in the process of expanding their platform to the English speaking world – good timing ha! Thank you Universe!

I remember the utter excitement I felt when I realised I now had a chance to see my work published. There are not many better feelings in life than that.

How does Pentian work. Once your book has been accepted into their programme, it is a fairly straight-forward process to achieve your dream.

1/ Pentian design a proposed cover for you.
2/ They advise you what they believe it will cost to produce your book in ebook format, as well as the set-up for POD (Print On Demand) sales for a paperback (or hardcover) version. In the case of The Second Coming, I think the cost was something like US$2,600.
3/ They then set your book up on their website – as a promotional campaign, seeking backers for the required sum.
4/ You have 60 days to convince your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues…anyone you can possibly think of, to back you project.
5/ If the required amount is raised on your book – then you’re home free and Pentian will go ahead a produce an ebook, as well as the capability to POD.
6/ They will place your ebook and paperback in all the usual places e.g. Amazon, Google Play and iBooks.
7/ They will also produce an agreed number of hard-copy books to send to you, for your own promotional activities.

So, what makes Pentian different from all the other crowd-funders in the marketplace, even those specialising in funding book projects? Why do they boldly proclaim that they are leading “The Publishing Revolution”?

To me, this is the key to their success and it is the reason I love them as a publisher and more importantly why I was prepared to give them my second book, the sequel to The Second Coming; Rise of the AntiChrist.

People who back your book are not just supporting you and your baby…“They are actually investing in the Publishing Industry – they are becoming active investors in your success.”

Just like other crowd-funding platforms, people who back your project, get rewards for doing so. A typical campaign might offer the following incentives:

1/ $15 Investment – You receive an ebook of the book before it is definitely published. Your name appears in the book’s credits.
2/ $30 Investment – You receive the book once it is published. Your name appears in the book’s credits.
3/ $70 Investment – You receive the book before it is definitely published, as well as an ebook version of it and your name appears in the book’s credits.
4/ $150 Investment – If you finally chose this option, there is no doubt you are a true backer! You receive 5 copies of the book,with your name in the credits.

The amounts will vary from book to book and campaign to campaign, but that will give you some idea of the benefits you can offer. The author is also able to add other benefits to these standard ones. For example, the copies could be signed, or some other inducement offered. It’s totally up to you.

Seems the same as other crowd-funding ideas, I hear you say. Yes…up to this point, but here’s the revolutionary part!

Your backers will become investors in your book. Yes, every single person who contributes to your campaign, becomes a part-owner of your success. The backer will receive a percentage of EVERY sale of your book, typically for a three-year period.

The arrangements vary between books and campaigns, but to give you some indication of how it works, I’ll outline the agreed split with Pentian for my first book, The Second Coming.

1/ Pentian receive 20% of net sales income.

2/ I receive 40% of net sales income.

3/ The backers of The Second Coming split 40% of net sales income between themselves based on their pro-rata contribution to the project.

This is the biggest incentive of all when convincing people to back your project. If they believe in you and believe you will succeed, then their investment will surely return to them. You are not asking them to just blindly support you, because they love you. You are offering them the chance to participate and be rewarded from your success as a writer.

I’m not currently aware of any one else using this particular method of crowd-funding, although there might well be, but what I am saying is that this works and it is a possible alternative to other ways of getting your book published.

Now, you may well be asking yourself; “what if I don’t have enough friends, family, etc who can back my project? What do I do then?”

Firstly, as an aspiring author you should be building your Social Media following. You may be surprised who backs you…if you ask them, and ask them often enough. I certainly was surprised at some of the people that backed my first book.

You have 60 days to raise the funds and you need to use every method at your disposal to do that. Twitter, FaceBook, YouTube, Bingbing, Instragram et al. Most of importantly of all, go the personal route. Email directly, personal message people, speak directly to them. As I said, you may be surprised and humbled by who supports you; as I was.

Even if you don’t reach the funding level – all is not lost. Pentian themselves have their own investors who look at their books and decide to invest. I was fortunate enough to receive a top-up from one of their investors, otherwise The Second Coming might never have seen the light of day. I am forever grateful for the support they have given me as an newbie author, struggling to find his way in the morass of an unfamiliar publishing world. Perhaps it will work for you also.

This is not for everyone, I understand that. Self-publishing, say on Amazon or Smashwords, will give you greater control and more of the income, but if like me, you just want to write, then Pentian could be the panacea you are looking for.

If you are tired of the endless search for a literary agent to represent you, the constant rejection letters and the hours spend applying, why not check out Pentian and see if they maybe could be for you. You can check out everything you need to know here on their website: http://pentian.com/

I hope this little article has given you some food for thought and if nothing else I hope it has confirmed the old truism that; “there’s more ways to skin a cat”.

Pentian offer something just a little bit different and for this lost and confused author they were a beacon of hope in a choppy sea. Maybe they can be for you also.

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For other blog posts by Grant Leishman visit: http://www.grantleishman.com/my-blog