Beaten Track Publishing
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About Beaten Track Publishing
 

Beaten Track Publishing is an award-winning hybrid publisher of diverse fiction and non-fiction.
We consider any work in any genre, based on merit, not market value.

  • We operate on socialist principles and strive for equality.
  • We are not affiliated to any of the large publishing houses.
  • All our authors retain full rights and royalties (usually 50% of net profit).
  • We are not a 'vanity publisher'.

Authors Seeking a Publisher:

We offer non-exclusive, equal profit-share publishing contracts and publish in ebook and/or printed formats (PoD). We work in partnership with our authors.

Please read the rest of the information on this page before you contact us, as we may not be the right kind of publisher for you.

[More on Submissions]

Independent Authors:

For authors wishing to stay completely independent, we provide a range of competitively priced publishing services via our 'sister company', InRoad Publishing.

Information for Resellers:

We would love for you to sell our books in your shop/store - wholesale discount available.

[More on Reselling]

Publications:

Publications listed on our site are predominantly published by us on behalf of independent authors, although we may also list publications from other likeminded publishers, respected fellow authors and authors' consortia.

Beaten Track Publishing is a participant in both the Amazon EU Associates Programme and Amazon USA Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com respectively.

Why Beaten Track?

The first interpretation of this question leads to an explanation for the choice of name. Quite simply, we've all traversed the beaten track of trying to find agents and/or publishers. Independent publishing is freedom from that treadmill and from the control exerted by traditional publishers, although we still have relatively little control over the processes and activities of the vendors through whom we sell our books. We owe it to ourselves to ensure the work we 'put out there' is the very best it can be. This is where Beaten Track can help.

To take the question the other way, why not? If we publish your work, you keep all of your rights. There are no tie-ins for sequels nor options on things that sound great but may never happen. Whether you're published by us or using our paid-for pre-publication services, you can be confident you and your work will be cared for and treated with respect.

Who / What is Beaten Track Publishing?

The company is owned and managed by Debbie McGowan, an independent author by choice, who has experienced both success and rejection at the hands of publishers. In all cases, her hard work didn't pay off financially, and she believes strongly that none of us should surrender our creative freedom in order to attain a publishing deal.

Submissions

We do this for the love of good books. We're not in it to get rich (luckily, as our income barely covers our expenditure) or to make you rich. We truly hope you've written the next bestseller, but there is a lot of competition out there. In short, if being a bestseller or making a packet is your dream, then we probably aren't the publisher for you.

We're a 'hybrid' publisher, which means you remain as independent as possible. We don't pay advances, nor do we take editorial control or claim exclusivity over your work.

We edit, proofread and format your work to ensure it is the very best it can be, in return for which, we take 50% of the net profit on sales. There is no up-front cost to authors nor any ongoing costs (unless you opt for paid-for print distribution). However, you may wish to commission your own cover - if not, we'll make you one.

Please note that we do not engage in any marketing. We will support your marketing endeavours, of course, but ultimately this is your responsibility. The reasons for this are many, but in short, we don't have time. Be aware also that the market is saturated, and it takes a combination of luck and tremendous effort for your book to stand out from the rest. Over a decade of experience tells us that authors do a far better job of selling their books than we do, so we make sure you have a great-looking product and avenues through which to sell it. The rest is down to you.

We publish our physical (paperback/hardcover) books via 'print on demand', which means we don't need to worry about whether your book is going to be the 'next big thing', giving us freedom to publish what we like rather than what is currently most popular. Thus, when we consider a submission, we judge it only on the basis of whether a) we believe it needs to be published (be that because it is personally, socially or politically valuable) and b), ideally, we can recuperate the time and money we invest into publishing it. We will discuss your print, ebook and distribution requirements during the submission process.

We are NOT a vanity publisher, but rejection sucks, so if we feel we are unable to publish your book for you, we will always explain why, and we'll do it constructively with your feelings in mind (but we won't lie to you).

How to Submit Your Work

To submit your work for consideration, please contact us via the Beaten Track Contact page in the first instance, explaining a little about the work you will be submitting and whether you are seeking to be published, or contact us via the InRoad Publishing Contact page for paid-for services (see below).

We usually require manuscripts to be sent via email in a standard document format, such as .doc (Microsoft Word document) or .rtf (Rich Text Format), although this might not be appropriate (for illustrated books, for example), so when we respond to your message, we will discuss/suggest the most convenient means of submitting your work.

NOTE: we conduct our business electronically, which means we do not usually meet with authors face-to-face. The best part of this is that we get to work with authors from all over the world. However, it does mean we rely on email and social networks. Please also note that the address published on our website is a postal address only, not business premises, but we are prepared to meet with authors if circumstance necessitates.

InRoad Publishing

As you will see on InRoad Publishing, our services are available to all independent authors - those who wish to retain full control of the publishing and distribution process. We aren't in this for big profits, so you will find that our rates are very reasonable and we are also open to negotiation. If Beaten Track is unable to publish your book, we may suggest you consider self-publishing with our support and will gladly provide a no-obligation quotation. This is not a means to lure you in and then rip you off, and we do not charge to publish your book with Beaten Track. If we offer you a publishing contract, we take all of the risk, in return for 50% of net profit on sales.

Resellers

We would love for you to sell our books in your shop/store. Here's what you need to know:

  • Our physical books are published via Amazon and LSI print-on-demand and in most cases are available via Ingram and other distribution services.
  • We can also sell directly to resellers, should you find the financial return unfavourable purchasing via your usual distribution service. We offer a discount of 30% of the retail (cover) price. Further discount may be available for bulk purchases (over 100 copies).
  • Our primary business is online, therefore we do not as a matter of course, deal with physical book stores.
  • We are unable to offer credit. We are too small, and our profit margins are slim.
  • Thus, if you wish to order any of our books in any quantity, in the first instance, please contact us for a quotation. We ship directly from LSI/Amazon to anywhere in the world. The cost of your order will usually be 70% of the book's cover price x quantity ordered + shipping/handling.
  • If you are purchasing stock for a specific event (such as a launch), you will need to place your order at least two weeks in advance.
  • We will not order or ship books until payment is received.
  • These arrangements are separate from any arrangements you make directly with the author.

Please contact us for further information or if you have any questions.

Correct as of January 2024