Author Candy Korman on getting e-published by Mardibooks:
I first encountered Mardibooks on LinkedIn. I immediately liked the idea of a writers’ collective. It’s a major switch from the traditional writer/publisher dynamic and it’s not as “lonely” as sending an electronic book out into the universe by yourself. A few emails back and forth and we were off and running. I contributed seven stories to “Unexpected Tales from the Ends of the Earth.” As this is a true international collection, I was glad the editors decided not to convert my U.S. style grammar and spelling to U.K. rules.
I’m particularly pleased with the book’s cover art, as people do judge books by their covers. Since the release of “Unexpected” all the writers involved have been tweeting, posting and blogging to promote book sales. I’m certain that the collective efforts of the individual writers will add up to much more than I could manage on my own and that we’ll have a success with this short fiction collection.
–Candy Korman, author: ‘Unexpected Tales From The Ends Of The Earth’
Why Mardibooks..?
- As a writer, your specialist area is writing. You are very close to your work and this may colour your judgement regarding stylistics and structure as well as your syntax and voice. An objective third party can bring a fresh look and support you in the editing process as well as the proof-reading.
- When it comes to publishing: the formatting, technical specifications, purchasing, copyright, ISBN sourcing as well as the admin supporting all of these tasks can be daunting – whether you are ebooking or traditional publishing…
- As for the marketing: promotion, social networking, press releases, relationships with reviewers, promotional sites, web links, blogs, access to libraries, retailers, wholesalers, setting up readings and the whole gamut of business and commercial activities requires endless time and resource. We are there to help you with this, setting you up and advising you on how to develop your networks and marketplace as well as your message and voice. Our reach is your reach and all our mardiwriters help each other.
- The whole premise of mardibooks is unique – we are set up to support at lowest cost, to share and reach out utilising all the latest technology, to grow together a powerful independent group voice. We give our time to enable mardiwriters to provide a shared experience that is dynamic, synergystic and mutually supportive.
Come, grow with us…
Costs for 2016 are set as follows:
Ebook package – £600
Hard copy print is priced separately, but typically a 200 page novel traditionally printed as a quality paperback would cost:
£1800 – 250 copies
£2400 – 500 copies
£2900 – 1000 copies
We sell on our website and via Amazon and Kobo.
As a new hard copy publisher our books are available from Waterstones, John Lewis, Foyles, WHSmiths and a variety of independent booksellers with whom we constantly discuss stock and opportunities to promote our books and our writers.
Our website attracts 1000s of visitors and our blog, tweets, LinkedIn and Goodreads reach is growing exponentially… we have reviewers across the world looking at our books and promoting our writers.
Martin Craig-Downer describes how he got published:
The manuscript of my first novel, The Tank Room, was three-quarters complete by September 2010 for submission as the final course requirement for the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. I was keen to interest a literary agent with the full final draft with a view to finding a publisher.
I hadn’t considered the possibility of having the novel published as an e-book but I was steered towards the Mardibooks writers’ collective. Belinda Hunt, one of the partners heading up Mardibooks, read the first two chapters and decided the work had potential. We met and discussed next steps in late February 2012 and I signed a contract – with a June deadline – for the book to be marketed by Mardibooks and distributed by Amazon Kindle.
Belinda worked tirelessly editing the material and we had a lengthy editorial meeting on the Diamond Jubilee Holiday to agree the necessary changes with a view to publication before the end of the month. I was initially disappointed that chunks of my original masterpiece wound up on the cutting room floor but it tightened up the narrative, gave the story pace and greatly improved it.
I worked frantically and completed the required changes within seven days. Along the way we were involved in sleuthing the copyright holders of the surrealist painting by Ben Shahn which I wanted to incorporate on the cover. I had to pay a fee to the late artist’s estate, tracked down to New York, for use of the image.
After publication of The Tank Room, to favourable reviews, I contributed three pieces to the anthology ‘Unexpected Tales from the Ends of the Earth’ and edited the submissions of co-author Alexandur Tomov. My second novel, ‘Over There’, is available via Amazon Kindle as a 2012 Christmas stocking filler. I greatly enjoy working with the Mardibooks team and am delighted to share in celebrating the collective’s first birthday.
–Martin Craig-Downer, author: ‘The Tank Room’, ‘Unexpected Tales from the Ends of the Earth’ and ‘Over There’
Mardibooks – because publishing is not black and white, but we are.
Can you afford not to?
