LL-Publications: FAQs

Author FAQs

How long have you been in business?

In August 2003 the website Logical-Lust.com was born and provided an outlet for owner/founder Jim Brown to present his writing and that of others in the genres of erotica and romance. In the years that followed, Logical-Lust became known as a writer-friendly site producing quality erotic fiction and e-book anthologies. We now publish in digital and print.

While Logical-Lust still specializes in erotica and romance, in January 2007 LL-Publications was formed to provide e-book and print publishing of other fiction genres as well.

What can LL-Publications do for me?

The cheeky response would be: what can you do for us? But the serious answer is: what can we do for each other? We work with our authors every step of the way of the publishing process. We provide the method and expertise to get your book published and printed, you provide the quality content.

What kinds of material do you look for?

We are interested in fiction and its various subgenres. This list includes, but is not necessarily limited to:

� Mainstream/literary fiction

� Mystery/suspense/crime

� Erotica (Logical-Lust)

� Humour

� Fantasy/sci-fi

� Romance (Logical-Lust)

� Thriller/horror

� Short-story anthologies

If you�ve written something not listed here, just drop us a line and ask. However, we are not interested in poetry, children/young adult, non-fiction, or religious-themed stories.

What kind of authors are you looking for?

Like any other publisher, big or small, LL-Publications is a business and is not for the hobbyist writer. We are looking for writers who have taken the time to learn their craft and understands the tastes of the market to which they write. We will put our time, effort, and expense into producing your book. This means, in the end, we intend to make a profit and pay you a royalty just like any other publishing company.

If you have delusions of grandeur and your aim is to get your name on as many books as possible so you can claim the title as �published author,� or you have no intention to help with the promotion of your work, we suggest you go to a vanity press (see below).

Too many writers believe that all they need to do is publish a book and money and fame will come automatically. These writers are soon disappointed and give up�and good riddance because they do more harm than good.

We do not want writers who �sit back� and wait for their royalty check and then blame us when that never happens because their book doesn�t sell. Getting published is just the beginning of a successful book�promoting the book requires work too.

LL-Publications wants writers who:

1) Can produce quality work that is entertaining to read.

2) Are willing to help promote their work.

Any successful writer will tell you that the reason behind their success is a direct result of the points mentioned above. Unless your name is Stephen King, don�t expect to receive a multi-million dollar marketing budget.

Do you pay an advance?

We pay advances on royalties on all our contracts for new, previously unpublished books..

Can I study your contract in advance?

You certainly can. A pdf version of our contract can be viewed here

Do I need an agent?

That�s not something we can tell an author, but you don�t need an agent to deal with LL-Publications. Acquiring an agent is the choice of the individual author if they feel it will benefit them. If you don�t have an agent, we�ll deal directly with you. Regardless, we do urge you to query us first as to your submission.

What are your �standards?�

We have had the opportunity to work with talented writers in the past and intend to do so in the future. Some of the writers on our Logical-Lust website are award winners and have other published works. We may be a small press but that doesn�t mean we will publish anything that comes our way. Our aim is to publish high-quality books as opposed to simply being prolific in the numbers of books we publish.

Your story should have well-developed characters, an interesting and well-structured plot and hopefully provide a different perspective if not entirely original. A majority of our authors will be new to the world of publishing and in order for them to succeed they will need to �step up their game� if they expect to be noticed by the paying public.

What do you mean by �editing?�

Once your manuscript is under contract with us it will go through our editing process. We will copyedit and proofread the manuscript to help make the story as entertaining and readable as possible. Depending on your level of writing skill, there may be very little for us to do at this end. However, more often than not, there are changes that can be made to improve the readability of a story and its presentation.

We are also published writers and our editors have been on the giving and receiving ends of a critique. The last thing they want to do is to crush anyone�s feelings. We have been fortunate to work with people who appreciate our editing efforts�even when they don�t make all the changes we suggest.

We will assign an editor to work with you in making any necessary revisions. You will be notified prior to any and all substantial changes, which will be made only with your approval and participation. Nevertheless, in the end the work must be acceptable in our editorial discretion for it to be published by us. The aim of any editing in this process, no matter how much or how little, is to present your work in its best possible light.

Why should we edit our submission if you are going to edit it anyway?

Contrary to what some may think, an editor is not there to teach you how to write. We see editing as a means to aid the readability and marketability of your novel. If you plan to be a published writer and expect anyone to take an interest in your work, you need to present your best effort at all times.

If we are impressed with your submission only to find that the rest of the manuscript is a wreck, we are not going to spend our time trying to bring it up to the same level. If you can write your first, second, and last chapter with skill you should be able to do that with the entire manuscript.

Some of the best stories we worked on required very little or no editing because the author cared enough to take the time to polish their writing as much as possible.

I have worked a long time on my manuscript. How can I trust you not to ruin it?

Successful writers of any sort are advised to develop a thick skin and learn to differentiate between constructive and destructive criticism. The former is meant to help you improve your writing whereas the latter is little more than a personal attack. We do not indulge in the latter. We will provide constructive criticism and encouragement because if we accept your manuscript, there is something about your writing and your subject that we find compelling.

However, if you are the sort of person where every word you write is precious and those who cannot appreciate the fact are ignorant fools�we invite you to submit your work elsewhere. Life is too short to deal with people like you. That may appear blunt, but hundreds of books are published every day. If we are to succeed with your book it must stand out from the others. If we cannot have your cooperation, then there is no point in wasting both our time.

How will you promote my book?

Your book will be featured on our website and placed in our catalogue for a start. We will also try to obtain book reviews and other forms of recognition of your work. However, the majority of the promotion will fall on you.

As mentioned earlier, successful authors are not idle when it comes to telling the world about their work. Even if you are shy, there are ways for you to get the word out.

Do not think that we will not promote your book. Of course we will, but you need to remember that you will not be the only author we represent so we will be promoting ourselves through the catalogue we provide as well as the individual books.

Do I need a marketing plan?

There are people who believe that by asking a writer to submit a marketing plan is a sign to stay clear of that publisher. You will find statements like this coming from the pedestal of those who have years of experience working with large publishing houses or have extensive ties with the movers and shakers of the industry. This opinion also comes from writers who believe that a major publisher will accept their first novel and spend thousands of dollars in its marketing and promotion. This is the kind of prejudice small presses like LL-Publications must face.

It is time for a reality check. LL-Publications is a small press. We do not have massive budgets to spend on PR and promotion but we do what we can within our means and you should too. There are plenty of effective tools available to aid self promotion that require little or no cost and we urge our authors to do what they can.

As a business LL-Publications is making an investment in its authors and cannot support the hobbyist who has no intention of raising their (and our) exposure. By providing your marketing plans (whether confirmed or not), this tells us you are serious in aiding us sell your work and, in some cases, this may be the deciding factor in acceptance.

Take a look at our sample proposal to get a few ideas of what you can do. As you will see this does not have to be an extensive, detailed plan full of cost analyses but a simple list of actions you are willing to take.

There is no reason for you to go into debt promoting your book. Word of mouth is free and placing a few well-placed ads in selected magazines, newsletters, etc., is relatively inexpensive. Both have the potential of spreading news of your book to thousands of people who may be interested. You have to ask yourself: �Is my book worth it?�

We will be happy to provide you with more ideas or direct you to other resources you could use.

What rights do you require?

Our contract requires the right to produce your work for 730 days (2 years) from the date the contract is signed. You must provide written proof that the work is your property to sell. If the work is entirely your own and has never been published, this should be easy to prove. If your work has been previously published or contracted elsewhere, you must provide written proof that copyright has reverted back to you and you are free to sell the work elsewhere.

LL-Publications does not register copyright and we urge the author to register copyright in their home country.

Are your books available in bookstores?

LL-Publications uses digital printers Lightning Source (LSI) for printing and part of our distribution. In addition to this we market and distribute ourselves. Bookstores can contact us or Lightning Source to order books for their shelves. All our books are listed in Ingrams and other book distribution catalogues.

My question is not listed here. Can I contact you?

Yes you can. Please send an email to: editor (at) ll-publications.com