EyeStorm Media, a small, independent publishing company has recently begun to pioneer the concept of co-publishing literature. The question is; what in the world is co-publishing?
According to Michael Eames of PEN music, Co-publishing in the music industry involves an artist signing over typically 50% of their publishing rights, typically in exchange for cash. This money can come in form of an upfront advance.
Andrew Samuelson, representative of EyeStorm, described the project as follows:
“The deal with this project is that authors share the initial costs of bringing the manuscript to the bookshelves, but then reap a far higher proportion of the rewards, and have a much greater input in the promotion and marketing of the book.
The company was founded by Dan Hiscocks who has 20 years worth of experience in the publishing industry and realised time was ripe for a change.”
According to their website EyeStorm believes that 99p marketing strategies don’t do most literary work any justice. At the same time they want to give readers an opportunity to judge whether books are worth their price tag
EyeStorm have successfully launched, Douglas Board’s MBA, a novel, and are now looking to build a front-list for publication in 2017.
EyeStorms model sure sounds innovative and would give opportunity for writers with little capital to gain the support needed for effective marketing. The company promises ‘an equal partnership based on mutual respect and reward’ so maybe this is the way to ensure authors finally receive the monetary rewards they receive.
Read more on EyeStorm’s approach at http://www.lightning-books.com
Brunel Writer 