The third little known route to publishing: Book Packagers

[Emurelda]

Recently I discovered Book Packagers as I was researching developing a series of MG books.

There isn't that much information on the topic but there are a LOT of books 'packaged' this way on our shelves.

Here's some info on the subject: Book Packager

Has anyone else come across this route to publishing?

 

[Brian Clegg]

I've done a few books with a company called Ivy Press (things like 30 Second Physics) - they often do highly illustrated books and usually work more like journalism than book writing, in the sense that you get paid a flat fee, rather than an advance and royalties, but that fee tends to be more than you would get a royalties from a publisher. All packagers sell the books to publishers, though some publish as well. In my experience, book packagers usually commission, though they are open to suggestions to fit with an existing series. What they do with the 30 Second books is appoint a consulting editor, who decides the list of items (in this case 50 x circa 400 word articles) and suggests authors to contribute. The packager then approaches the authors and asks if they'd like to write for this book. Some packaged books are single author, but this particular series tends to use that approach.

 

[Madeleine Conway]

When I finished Masters in education in 2009, I was absolutely itching to get back to writing. Serendipity moment, a friend on a Regency/historical writers chat group mentioned an opportunity with a book packager called Working Partners - they do all the Beastquest books and a lot of other children's books. I wrote off with my CV, they got back in touch, sending me full character list and plot outline - literally chapter by chapter, and asked me to write the first three chapters. I was offered a contract. We shared rights 50-50, they owned the plot and characters, I owned the manuscript. This allows them to develop a series with different writers producing books so that they can hit a book every 4-6 weeks.

I wrote the book - my husband described it as the Write-by-Numbers book, like those paint by numbers oil paintings you used to be able to get before we all had Nintendo and iPads to occupy our time. It was a really fun experience, definitely got me back into the swing of writing long. I started in September, had draft ready by end of the year (about 75,000 words) and edited/revised/rewrote through Jan with daily exchanges by email with editor. All was ready and submitted on deadline by 1 March. Then I went to visit WP during the Easter hols, and it turned out that the woman who had commissioned my book and was planning to set up a historical line had done a bunk (she ran away to Texas to set up a drama group for small children in a bus) and they really weren't going to bother to continue down that route. Haven't heard a dicky bird since, although they did pay me an advance, which I kept, because I'd fulfilled my side of the contract, and then they sent me statements and little Xmas presents (mini hamper, mini bottle of champers, mini box of chocs).

It was the first time that my work was really thoroughly edited. It was extremely rewarding and useful to learn that process. I've been an editor - I started my working life as a journalist and ran a newsletter on energy economics until I threw it all up for love and teaching, but I was not a fiction editor, and it was really instructive. I'm quite sad it was never published, because it was a cracking tale (18th century political scheming and louche aristos, duels and seductions, highwaymen etc etc), but hey ho!

 

[Emurelda]

Great first hand insight from both of you. Thank you.

I learned about Working Partners too when I was looking for Adam Blade as the author a while ago.
Hot House Fiction is another one - a direct competitor of Working Partners.

 

[Emurelda]

Here are the links for those interested in writing for Working Partners and Hothouse Fiction

 

[Kitty]

I'm familiar with both of those and though they can provide a useful source of income for the struggling writer they do have disadvantages. For example if you are invited to audition and not chosen you don't get paid for the time you spent writing to their spec, and secondly, is this really the sort of writing you want to do - following a detailed outline that has been devised by someone else? I can see why people do it, the same way people work as ghost writers. Personally it's not for me, but then again, writing isn't my main source of income!

 

[Madeleine Conway]

I would agree with Kitty's point about using someone else's plot - although I was happy to use another person's cast of characters, I found the plot a bit of a straitjacket, and there were a couple of moments where I thought there were major inconsistencies of characterisation/development, but I had to follow the scheme laid out. But then I love plotting and I also love it when my characters take my plots in unexpected directions.