Well, at least submissions are open! And there’s a slogan contest as well. Don’t enter that. I want the iPod and the tshirt. Okay, go ahead.
Let’s see, how did this happen? I mean, how did I meet Kassia Krozser (aka longstanding writer of Booksquare)? Sure, Twitter. I asked a few questions, and twisted Kassia’s virtual arm for an interview.
I think the interview and website say it all, so I’ll get right to it!
Ciar: I have in my hot little hands the submission guidelines for Quartet Press. Summarizing for the less lucky out there–it’s familiar. Excellent books with good characters and plots, romances or stories with a strong romantic thread, a special interest in erotic romance and romantic suspense. Good guidelines for any romance publisher, of course. Is there a special unfilled niche you see Quartet filling?
Kassia: On the broadest level, I’d say mystery/suspense is the biggest unfilled genre fiction niche in digital publishing, which I why highlighted romantic suspense — I love the mix of heat and tension. When it comes to romance sub-genres, we’re seeing more variety, which makes me happy because I like to mix up my reading style. This week alone, I’ve bounced from traditional Regency to straight contemporary to a literary classic.
Your comment about the guidelines being familiar made me smile. Once upon a time I thought guidelines were written in code (one I couldn’t crack!), but the more time I’ve spent with publishers, the more I realize guidelines are just that. It really is about the story, the voice, the characters.
(And the guidelines are now live on our pre-launch site. Get ‘em while they’re hot!)
Ciar: The big question on everyone’s mind (I think)–why now? I personally don’t believe the world will end in 2012, but plenty of people say publishing won’t last that long.
Kassia: Publishing is *changing*, not disappearing. Right now is the best time to start a new publishing house, especially a digital publisher. While traditional publishers are trimming lists and limiting risk, readers want great books and variety. Authors are writing terrific stories. We need to keep bringing those two parties together.
Add to that the rising awareness of ebooks. Forrester Research recently did a study that indicates we have shifted from the early adopter phase of ereaders to a mainstream market. While some of us have been playing in this market for a long time, we’re (finally!) seeing new readers coming online and looking for books. In the next few years, we’ll see an influx of ereaders, better browser-based experiences (there is some cool stuff out there), and increased adoption of smart mobile devices.
As readers change their habits, publishers will adapt as well. Which leads to the next question…
Ciar: I understand Quartet Press will offer product electronically? Exclusively? How does one prepare a business model that is so new? How do you prepare for existing and forthcoming platforms and distribution? It seems from the outside (I blithely just type stories) that it’s like herding cats these days. How about piracy?
Kassia: While print books will be available, our focus, particularly initially, will be on the digital marketplace. The great thing about starting a publishing business from scratch is that we can take advantage of emerging best practices and technologies in digital publishing. We’re lucky in that we know some of the smartest minds in this space…and we’re not shy about asking crazy questions.
And we’re fortunate that, over the past decade or so, we’ve seen the development of a true digital publishing marketplace. We have learned from the visionaries in digital publishing — all of us are huge believers in collaborating and talking, so we plan to follow the example our mentors and share what we learn with the community.
Unlike traditional publishers, who are (slowly because it’s not easy) changing their process to better manage a digital workflow, we’re starting from that point. It’s definitely a huge advantage, business-wise, and allows us to create clean manuscript files that can be released in a variety of formats now and in the future. It’s been a huge learning curve, but a fascinating one. So much so that we’ll be exploring what we’ve discovered and various issues on our blog during the lead-up to launch.
As for piracy. Sigh, pirates have been a blight since commerce began. It’s an ongoing struggle for many businesses. DRM is not the answer (DRM frustrates legitimate customers, not pirates), though Social DRM shows some potential. It’s a matter of vigilance and education. I’d love to have an open forum with readers to hear their thoughts about piracy — I suspect readers have as many thoughts and solutions as we do. (more…)
