Thanks for sharing, Winston, and for bringing this publisher to my attention. I came across them a few times in the Discovery on Substack, but didn't really know their focus, but I've just subscribed after your review here. It sounds like we're on a very similar journey. I've got my first sci-fi/fantasy collection coming out in January, and I'm asking a similar question about whether or not my next should be an attempt at a novel or another collection in a shared universe. Everything I write is clean, except for maybe some violence, and I've found that readers still enjoy the work. I would venture to guess most don't notice because it's a difference between sanitary and clean. I don't avoid certain subjects, I just choose to approach them through a different lens.
Hey Brian, so glad you found this post helpful in understanding FHP’s focus.
Whoa! January is coming up. Congrats on getting that scheduled. Looking forward to your release day. Are you self-publishing? I’ll try to promote it if I can.
I really like your description of sanitary vs clean. I suppose I’m more on the clean side, too, as I can get dark at times, but it’s not overly graphic. Telling it in a different way makes it fun and creative.
One of my short stories turned into a novel on accident last year because I started posting chapters and then couldn’t stop because there were readers following it. So maybe that could be the case, where the novel happens by accident.
I look forward to following your journey and purchasing your upcoming book!
Thanks for your support, Winston! I hope to have an author page up by the end of December, but we'll see if I'm too bogged down in final editing. I'm self-publishing through Amazon KDP and will do a softcover first. If anyone is interested, I'll also do a hardcover and e-book, but I sort of wanted to test the waters out first and not get overwhelmed.
That's awesome about your short story into a novel. Sometimes it just happens like that where you feel like you can get some more juice out of a story. Also, just noticed you were in the Great Substack Story Challenge! That's cool, I still have yet to read it... I should get in on that.
Awesome. KDP seems to be the way to go. I’ll be compiling an anthology and publishing soon, so I’m debating KDP vs IngramSpark. Do you have any advice on that front?
Hope you like the GSSC. It’s definitely a wild ride!
I did research on IngramSpark because my first thought was that I wanted to get into libraries and bookstores. IngramSpark has connections to systems that make that much easier, but I learned you still need to get on the radar of librarians and buyers once you're in those systems. That work is all up to you. With their package I'm pretty sure the ISBN is discounted, not tied to them as a publisher and they assist with getting into the U.S. Copyright Office. So that's the benefit. The other thing with IngramSpark is while you have more control of where you can sell your book, you essentially become the middleman. There's some question as to the quality of their tools and customer support, but I can't speak to that directly.
My thinking at this point is that I will get my own ISBN for print, use it for KDP and then have the option to approach libraries and bookstores on my own. You're not shut out entirely if you don't use IngramSpark. Also, I plan to submit to the U.S. Copyright Office on my own. Their process is actually pretty simple. I think the fee is like $75, but if you're not sure about it you could always use LegalZoom and pay an additional $115.
Thanks for the write up. I'm not in SLC but close enough lol. I had never heard of this publishing house before. My current crop of stories probably have a curse word too many for this publisher (I really only have five) and can be pretty violent (grew up watching Verhoeven and John Carpenter movies) but I do have idea that are far more clean in the future.
Thanks for giving them press! We need more houses with values like this.
Great info! It's always interesting to learn what publishing options are out there and what they're looking for. I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to writing a sci-fi or fantasy novel, but it might be fun to try!
Great job! Thanks for sharing this information, you’re always so detailed in your research and reviews.
Thank you 😊 glad you liked it
Remember when we didn’t meet?! 🥹
How could I forget 😢
Thanks for sharing, Winston, and for bringing this publisher to my attention. I came across them a few times in the Discovery on Substack, but didn't really know their focus, but I've just subscribed after your review here. It sounds like we're on a very similar journey. I've got my first sci-fi/fantasy collection coming out in January, and I'm asking a similar question about whether or not my next should be an attempt at a novel or another collection in a shared universe. Everything I write is clean, except for maybe some violence, and I've found that readers still enjoy the work. I would venture to guess most don't notice because it's a difference between sanitary and clean. I don't avoid certain subjects, I just choose to approach them through a different lens.
Hey Brian, so glad you found this post helpful in understanding FHP’s focus.
Whoa! January is coming up. Congrats on getting that scheduled. Looking forward to your release day. Are you self-publishing? I’ll try to promote it if I can.
I really like your description of sanitary vs clean. I suppose I’m more on the clean side, too, as I can get dark at times, but it’s not overly graphic. Telling it in a different way makes it fun and creative.
One of my short stories turned into a novel on accident last year because I started posting chapters and then couldn’t stop because there were readers following it. So maybe that could be the case, where the novel happens by accident.
I look forward to following your journey and purchasing your upcoming book!
Thanks for your support, Winston! I hope to have an author page up by the end of December, but we'll see if I'm too bogged down in final editing. I'm self-publishing through Amazon KDP and will do a softcover first. If anyone is interested, I'll also do a hardcover and e-book, but I sort of wanted to test the waters out first and not get overwhelmed.
That's awesome about your short story into a novel. Sometimes it just happens like that where you feel like you can get some more juice out of a story. Also, just noticed you were in the Great Substack Story Challenge! That's cool, I still have yet to read it... I should get in on that.
Awesome. KDP seems to be the way to go. I’ll be compiling an anthology and publishing soon, so I’m debating KDP vs IngramSpark. Do you have any advice on that front?
Hope you like the GSSC. It’s definitely a wild ride!
I did research on IngramSpark because my first thought was that I wanted to get into libraries and bookstores. IngramSpark has connections to systems that make that much easier, but I learned you still need to get on the radar of librarians and buyers once you're in those systems. That work is all up to you. With their package I'm pretty sure the ISBN is discounted, not tied to them as a publisher and they assist with getting into the U.S. Copyright Office. So that's the benefit. The other thing with IngramSpark is while you have more control of where you can sell your book, you essentially become the middleman. There's some question as to the quality of their tools and customer support, but I can't speak to that directly.
My thinking at this point is that I will get my own ISBN for print, use it for KDP and then have the option to approach libraries and bookstores on my own. You're not shut out entirely if you don't use IngramSpark. Also, I plan to submit to the U.S. Copyright Office on my own. Their process is actually pretty simple. I think the fee is like $75, but if you're not sure about it you could always use LegalZoom and pay an additional $115.
Hope that helps!
Thanks for the write up. I'm not in SLC but close enough lol. I had never heard of this publishing house before. My current crop of stories probably have a curse word too many for this publisher (I really only have five) and can be pretty violent (grew up watching Verhoeven and John Carpenter movies) but I do have idea that are far more clean in the future.
Thanks for giving them press! We need more houses with values like this.
Hey Victor, thanks for commenting. Glad you found this post useful. FHP has great people.
Writing clean fiction can be tough sometimes. The characters and the story have voices of their own. It’s hard to reign them in haha 😆
Great info! It's always interesting to learn what publishing options are out there and what they're looking for. I'm not sure if I'll ever get around to writing a sci-fi or fantasy novel, but it might be fun to try!
Let me know if you ever do! I’ll be more than happy to proofread and help in any way I can.
That would be amazing! I'll definitely take you up on that :-)