NOTES ON INTERVIEW WITH
RHONDA PENDERS, PRESIDENT OF THE WILD ROSE PRESS
This
award-winning small press is international with editors in Canada and the
United Kingdom. The Wild Rose Press (TWRP) puts books in ebook and print (for
books of 45,000 words or more). They print locally, using print on demand, but
not audio, at the moment.
While
they’ve had mostly murder mysteries and erotic romance submitted during the
pandemic, they also publish women’s fiction, sci fi, historical fiction, historical
romance (and not just in the Regency period), sweet romance, romantic comedy,
historical comedy, and cozy mysteries, in addition to romance across all
genres. They have published a handful of children’s books.
Currently,
they do not accept cookbooks, memoirs, inspirational romance. inspirational
fiction, or poetry.
How to
submit? Electronically. There is a submit page on their website. Submit a query
note, synopsis, and the first five pages of your manuscript. You should hear
back in 45 days if they want to see more of the manuscript. Then it will take
another sixty days to get a reply to that.
If you
get a contract and submit a “clean” manuscript, it will take about 6-9 months
for your book to be published. If it needs more editing, it can take up to a
year.
TWRP does
take foreign rights for five years, and they have some books in translation in
foreign language. They do not pay
advances, and no agent is necessary. Submit directly to the publisher.
They
publish gay and other books by diverse authors across all their lines, instead
of having a separate line for each. They do publish series. Their royalty rates
are confidential, but are competitive with other publishers. They buy all
rights for five years.
Just a
personal aside here: I’ve watched TWRP for the past 10 years. They
are one of the few small presses to produce quality books and stick around year
after year. Here are a few reasons why they survive while others fold. They
have these specialties to create author interest and attract readers:
“One
Scoop or Two” – is a series of short stories that involve ice cream! This
series was created for summer beach reads. An anthology of all the stories
they’ve published in this series is coming out soon.
Wylder
Historical Western Series – this is a series created by TWRP. Authors pick one
or two characters and write a book about them that’s set in the same town. Once
you pick your characters, you’re locked in. This series is very popular.
Authors promote each other to boost sales.
Write
Advice – they also provide publishing services either as a package or a la
carte. You can get editing services, cover design, formatting, all the pieces
of the self-publishing puzzle for separate fees, or buy a self-publishing
package and they will get it done for you. This is another service that sets
them apart from other small presses.
Under
“events” on their website, there is a link to the Weekly Free Chat room, where
they host chats every Tuesday night at 8:00pm.
The chats range from writing tips to marketing advice.
They also offer a workshop called, “Where does
the story start?” that helps authors begin their books in the right place.
They do
not offer promotional services – most authors these days have to take care of
that themselves, whether they publish traditionally or self-publish. ##
Jean
Joachim is an award-winning author of contemporary books. Visit her at www.jeanjoachimbooks.com.
#ReadRomance
