Grey Gecko Press is focused on finding new and emerging talented authors who have few, if any, publishing credits and helping those authors to realize that they can succeed in this brave new publishing world.

The State of the Publishing World

The traditional publishing method is quickly becoming outdated. With only 400,000 books published every year out of the millions submitted, the traditional publisher has, for over a hundred years, been the gatekeeper, protecting the lowly reader from the detritus and worthless manuscripts that would otherwise overwhelm them.

No longer.

With the advent in 2007 of the Amazon Kindle, and in particular the Kindle Direct Publishing program, authors are no longer restricted to the old methods.  No querying agents, waiting for the agents to sell the books to a publisher, and waiting for the publisher to print the books, a process that could take as long as 3 years, or never happen.

Now, the gatekeepers are the only ones that really matter: the readers themselves. Readers will determine whether a book is worthy of remaining on bookshelves (virtual and not), as it should be.

So check out our FAQ below, and if you’re interested, contact us for more information.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I publish with Grey Gecko Press? Can’t I do everything you do for me on my own, for free?

Sure you can. It’s your time and money, only you can decide what it’s worth to you. But ask yourself this: There’s a lot more to publishing than just writing the book, such as all the back-end hassle and annoyance, all the rigamarole that the author has to go through with formatting the book and tracking sales and promoting and… well, you get the idea. What if you could avoid all that? Let someone else handle it for you? Would that be worth a small fee?

If your answer’s yes, then you should publish with Grey Gecko Press. For a small fee, you can let someone else handle all the minutiae, and get back to doing what you do best: writing.

What exactly do you provide?

Grey Gecko Press provides talented authors with all the tools they’ll need to edit, publish and market their books. For publishing, we will convert an author’s work into the electronic format(s) needed for publication on marketplaces such as Amazon.com’s Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble’s NookBooks store, the Kobo reader, Apple’s iBookstore and others. This consists of two standardized formats, the proprietary MOBI format (for Kindle) and the general ePub format. The work will then be uploaded through the appropriate processes, and the author will be notified when the book has become available for purchase.

In addition, we format an author’s work for publication in print form, with distribution through Ingram Book Company, one of the two major book distributors in the United States. Most titles are distributed in both hardcover and trade paperback forms, and we are currently investigate the feasibility of producing mass-market paperbacks. All books are available in both print and ebook forms through online retailers such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com, and through bookstores that order from Ingram via special order.

Lastly, Grey Gecko Press provides ongoing online maintenance and oversight for all titles published, as well as sales reporting for all authors on a monthly basis, and handling of all monies earned by titles published with Grey Gecko Press.

Additional services are provided through our Editing and Marketing plans.

What do you charge for publishing?

While all fees are negotiable, GGP typically charges authors a fee of 15 – 20% of net revenue for longer works, depending on length, with a flat fee for short stories.  Note: This is in addition to any fees charged for editing services and promotional plans chosen by the author, if any. Fees owed are deducted from royalties earned.

We normally charge nothing to authors we work with upfront. Some of our services do come with an inherent cost, such as contracts for cover art; for all these sorts of charges, the author and GGP will split the cost evenly, with the author’s portion being deducted from earned royalties until fully paid. Please note: GGP may ask authors to pay part of their cost up-front, in the event of a large fee (e.g. for custom cover art). As we grow into a larger company, these expenses will be covered in toto by Grey Gecko Press.

When do authors get paid?

Authors will receive a monthly check for their earned royalties on or after the 20th of the month for amounts exceeding $10. Please note: due to delays in the publishing industry, royalties for some sales channels may not be paid immediately. Some delays are as little as 1-2 months, some are as long as 6. Detailed sales reports will be available to any author who requests them, within reason.

   Example:

In July, I sold 277 copies of my $3.99 book on Kindle, earning $742.90. July’s royalties will be paid by Amazon at the end of September, a 2-month delay. I would receive my monthly check and detailed sales report from Grey Gecko Press for all royalties received in September (including July’s Kindle sales) in mid-October.

Do you pay advances?

Yes and no. We don’t provide large sums of money up-front to our authors, then allow them to “earn out” that advance through royalties. We do pay for some up-front costs for our authors, though, such as listing fees, certain printing costs, etc – we call these ‘Direct Expenses’. 50% of these Direct Expenses are charged to the author’s account with GGP, and paid back over time through royalties. In a sense, this is a sort of advance. Again, as Grey Gecko Press becomes larger and more profitable, this 50% charge will be reduced or go away entirely.

How do you promote my work?

We have a variety of ways to promote our authors, including social media, space on our websites, review submissions, convention attendance and others. Click here for our Marketing Services page.

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