IamA founder at Reedsy, where authors meet the best publishing professionals! AMA!

Will you decline to offer services to 'low quality authors' or will you work with anyone for a price?

Do you charge a flat rate for all services or might your freelancers bid a high rate for 'low quality authors' and a low rate for 'high quality authors' that they really want to work with?

Is there a possibility that the author might initially pay a fee for services, and when/if the book reaches a critical point of quality, you might sign a contract to publish the book, switch to a traditional model of payment, pay the author an advance to complete the book, etc.. If your approach produces high quality work, it would be logical to make this transition at some point.

Is an author free to abandon Reedsy at any point and take the book to a traditional publisher?

Hi vtjohnhurt!

We don't decline. However, our freelancer may refuse to work with "low-quality authors" (we've seen the case many times). On Reedsy, you'll be able to request a quote from up to 5 freelancers. You will then be able to compare the offers of those who are willing to work with you.

We are not trying to get our authors a deal with a traditional publisher though. We have made exceptions in the past, connecting an author with a publisher that we though was a perfect fit for them, but that's not our objective in the future. We'd rather help our authors with a crowdfunding campaign (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Unbound, etc.) so they can pay for our services and then self-publish and keep their rights.

On Reedsy, you'll be able to request a quote from up to 5 freelancers.

Can I request the freelancers that I'm interested in working with?

How about answering my other questions?

Yes, you can select the freelancers yourself! And to answer your previous question, yes authors can leave Reedsy after using our services through the marketplace!

Those are two critical pieces. Finding the right editor has been an obstacle for me. I like that you're making it easier for editors and writers to initiate a collaboration. I'm wary of being exploited by a 'vanity publisher', but I don't have a fundamental problem with paying for services.

Short of book sales, I have the problem of obtaining independent verification that my work is worth pursuing. Have your freelancers ever 'killed the golden goose' and advised a client to abandon a project (after investing time and money)?

Definitely. You can ask for an editorial assessment, a one-off report on all aspects of the manuscript. If the book isn't good enough, they will let you know.

A golden hallmark in traditional publishing is that money should always and only flow towards the author. Anything else is either self-publishing, a paid editing service, or a scam.

How do you respond to this?

Hi ClancysLegendaryRed!

That's quite a debate you're starting! I don't know a single author that hasn't invested in his book in some way, and lot's of decent authors make no money with a traditional publisher (at best they break-even).

We are obsessed about quality at Reedsy and are perfectly aware that many services are complete scams, even those coming from major publishers. Our objective is to combine the best of both worlds: the quality of a traditional publisher with the freedom and business model of self-publishing.

Apart from Reedsy, I'm also an art lover and street photographer. I know that in any case, there is some investment needed from the artist. But if it works and that no one in the process takes 90% of your royalties, it's even more magical.

Our objective is to combine the best of both worlds: the quality of a traditional publisher with the freedom and business model of self-publishing.

Except you aren't a publisher. You are a middle man, taking money for connecting authors with editors and/or outlets for self-publishing, both of which will then ask for more money from the author.

This is a free enterprise, and you're obviously entitled to attempt whatever business strategy you want. And if it's a success, more power to you, since there's a sucker born every minute.

But let's be clear. What you're doing is taking advantage of authors.

Hi dannyboylee,

I couldn't disagree with you more. There are hundreds of "publishing companies" out there that actively spend their time taking advantage of authors. Heck, even the big ones do it with ever more draconian contracts that take away all the rights for a period close to perpetuity, but that's another story.

There are also hundreds of "author services" companies who screw authors all the time. They're actually called "scams", and some of the most famous ones belong to traditional publishers (like Penguin Random House). But you certainly know that already.

At Reedsy, we provide a tightly curated marketplace where all the editors and designers are talented and experienced (I dare anyone to find one who isn't). They are all individuals, btw, and not "outlets for self-publishing". There is nothing like that out there and this is the reason why many authors have to pay several editors before finding the right one… We provide in-built project management tools to make the process simpler for authors and freelancers alike. And for that we take a fee from the freelancer side.

Please explain to me how this is taking advantage of authors.

Do you take a percentage of book sales?

No, we certainly don't take a percentage of book sales for offering editing/design services through a marketplace of vetted individuals.

I'm definitely not the OP, but I'll say that traditional publishing isn't very sustainable anymore.

Looking at the OP's site, it does sound a lot closer to a blend of paid editing and self-publishing/publishing help. Which is something that a lot of authors need. If you're looking to land a "traditional" publishing contract, but your manuscript is full of plotholes and isn't pieced together well, then you're not going to get your inbox slammed with acceptance letters. Traditional publishers these days want to spend as little time and effort on publishing pieces as possible, thus maximizing their profit to time/money invested ratio.

So a lot of authors need help getting their manuscript up to snuff for a "traditional" publishing house. But a lot of folks want to self-publish, or e-book publish, which is a lot further removed from the traditional roles you are hinting toward. New avenues for books mean new rules.

I went through and deleted my previous comments about my experience in the industry as I wanted Emmanuel a chance to say what he needed to say without much outside interference, but I suppose I'll comment.

Most authors do need help, but by no means do they need to pay for help. Traditional publishing is difficult to get into, but it is definitely not dying.

Unpaid writing partners and advice found on websites like AbsoluteWrite forums is absolutely free, and more guidance than anyone who has an actual desire and drive to write and be published could ever need to succeed.

Traditional publishers use agents to do the vetting for them, and yes - getting an agent's attention is difficult for this reason. However, claiming that not working with a paid editor is going to negatively impact their chances of getting good responses to their queries (as I seem to think you're implying, correct me if wrong) is far from the truth.

I have had four novels traditionally published, and have an agent myself. I got my first contract at 21, so it's not like I spent a lifetime of editing or paying editors to make it work. I would never consider myself any kind of exceptionally gifted author in that regard.

All I'm saying is that roping people with a genuine desire to write and be heard in with fees and bids may not be in their best interest.

E-publishing, self-publishing (or indie publishing, they're one in the same) is another awesome route for people if that fits their desires, as you mention.

EDIT: Just to be clear, I have never paid a cent in my literary career. My publishers have all covered editing services after acceptance, as is standard with most traditional publishers.

Hi ClancysLegendaryRed and devilsfoodadvocate!

Sorry for not jumping in in this discussion sooner. Reedsy is aimed at author publishing, not traditional publishing. Yes, in a few months we will actually allow authors with a ready-to-be-published manuscript to be published under our imprint, offering production (digital and print), distribution (both), and marketing in exchange for a small portion of royalties (10-20%, tbd). But we see it more as indie publishing than traditional publishing.

Now, I agree that if you have certain skills (and are lucky) you can manage to get a trad. pub. contract (by first securing an agent). The question, for me, is: would one really want that? Contracts are getting more draconian by the day, while author publishing keeps getting easier and more quality-driven. We want to allow authors to go the indie route, but getting the same quality in terms of book creation and production as in traditional publishing.

Now, to the matter of your discussion: I think getting an agent is much much easier if your manuscript has first undergone some professional assessment or editing. I'm not saying you should pay a lot for that, nor that it's not possible to find some free advice out there. But organisations like Cornerstones or The Literary Consultancy are good examples of that in the UK.

in exchange for a small portion of royalties (10-20%, tbd)

...Does this mean that money is not required up-front? It sounded from the website like there was an exchange of money for copy/substantive editing services.

However, it also might be that you have different business models for different publishing paths?

The publishing part of Reedsy (and again, that won't be ready before a few months), is separate from the editing/design part.

The idea is that we will consider manuscripts at a ready-to-be-published state, i.e. having undergone the different stages of editing and design (either through freelancers found on Reedsy, or elsewhere). And in exchange for this small amount of royalties we will provide the production (conversion, formatting, print, etc.), the distribution (both digital and in bookstores) and an actual marketing effort.

Ah, okay.

I hadn't heard about the imprint launch intent. That aspect of it that you've outlined isn't actually a bad idea at all for those interested in self-publishing. As long as people understand that that's what it is.

I will say that I'm really against paying for editing, only because I don't understand the value of it relative to getting another talented author to go over it - but that's purely my own opinion and based in my own experience in the industry.

I'm of the opinion that an author shouldn't have the need for a professional paid editing service if they've truly put the work into refining their craft, and actually reaching the level of literary proficiency required for approaching publication.

But hell, different strokes, right? If it works, it works - and I'm never going to advocate anything that goes against getting more authors writing and creating. If paid is what it takes for people to get into it, that's their prerogative.

Best of luck and enjoy the holidays, Emmanuel!

I'm of the opinion that an author shouldn't have the need for a professional paid editing service if they've truly put the work into refining their craft, and actually reaching the level of literary proficiency required for approaching publication.

There's a whole debate about that going around, and I think you might very well be right, but I think it's really not a given for every author. Anyhow, different strokes, as you say!

Thanks for the wishes and all the best for the holidays too!

What do you think of Amazon's Kindle Scout?

Hi Randym99,

I think it's brillant… especially for Amazon: they can utilize their user base to find the best books, the perfect way to avoid hiring editorial staff but still find books that will sell tons of copies. In some way, it's similar to Unbound, a crowdfunding platform where the books published are those that are backed by readers. It's even more powerful on Amazon since no money has to be spent to get if there's some interest for the book.

Would you consider this an interesting and engaging AMA or a shameless promotion?

Hi _theWatt,

I have mentioned many other publishing companies and provided very personal answers to some of the questions that were asked. I'm a co-founder and obviously want to promote my company, but it works both ways: people who will sign up will get high-quality services for their books, something they may not have found anywhere else…

Don't worry about_theTwatt, thanks for making a great idea a reality!

Thank you MASTERtaterTOTS!

Why is all of your administrative team comprised of men? :P

We get this question a lot, and the thing is, it's really not intentional (of course), we were just a bunch of friends who started this together.

We are actually actively recruiting a full-stack developer and would love female applicants!!

So, your website is a place for aspiring authors to meet with editors, publishers, others in the industry to read over and review/critique/help with their books? Is your website directed towards getting authors self-published through e-books, or help them get noticed/printed by publishing houses?

Hi fatcatdiatribe! Thanks for your question!

In some way: we get the best editors (many of them coming from Big 5 publishers) to work with indie authors. However, it's not a social network like Wattpad (at least not yet!): authors have to pay for the services.

For your second question, we think "ebook first" is the best strategy. If your ebook is selling well then it's probably worth trying hard copies as well. We've had among our first clients bestselling authors who have decided to self-publish and were not interested in a deal with a traditional publisher, except potentially for distribution / physical books. We have plans to help indie authors with distribution as well, but this is for later next year :)

Thanks for answering!

Second question: How has Reedsy simplified self-publishing? Do you make resources available, guides and such, or is there more of a "hand holding" process?

Welcome! A "knowledge center" is coming and we're trying to build Reedsy so authors are never lost in the process. If needed, there's always a "Help!" button on our website so our users can contact us at any time!

Do you have any data showing success rates of authors that have used your services?

Not yet. BUT, I can give you an example of one of our recent clients: http://janicegraham.com/

Just to clarify what Reedsy is:

Reedsy is a website to connect aspiring authors to industry tested editors. Authors will post samples of their work and what services they are wanting. Then editors can extend offers for the pricing of their services. Authors can accept an editors offer, then the two work in tandem according to the agreement.

Reedsy is NOT a publishing house. It seems that you either offer or plan to offer guides/help for authors interested in self-publishing, but publishing is not what your business is designed for.

Reedsy seems to be appropriate for authors looking to get their work editted/brought up to snuff for industry standards. It doesn't seem appropriate for authors with, in their minds, a "complete" book ready to print/release.

Does that seem like a fair/correct assessment?

Yes, you’ve got it right. The only thing I’d add is that we’re really not a “bidding” marketplace, though, where you post a job and a sample and wait for the hungriest freelancers to bid on it. Authors have to browse the marketplace to select up to 5 freelance editors they wish to receive a quote from. This system is fairer towards editors, and it’s what has enabled us to attract some of the best out there (that you will never find on Elance, for example).

This is WAY too markety for me. I really think some of these questions are plants also? (note that this is a question. This counts.)

Hi Iama_tomhanks,

I can assure you none of these questions come from us, if that's a concern…

While most authors don't traditionally make any money off their books, they certainly do get paid up front via advances. Yes, they only make a small percentage off royalties, but they still have the luxury of making money off the bat. And even though the author keeps most of their rights and has a much higher percentage of their royalties, how are they supposed to maximize the possibility of selling their books if you don't offer the services a traditional publisher can, ex. sales, marketing, publicity, subsidiary rights, etc. ?

Hi orange_cuse,

We are currently working on many things to help authors market their books. First, we will be adding marketing specialists on the marketplace soon (we are taking our time because we know there can be a lot of scam). Next year, we have plans to help authors ourselves with the distribution and the marketing, but we can't unveil everything yet :).

Can you tell me more about the process? As in how long it typically takes to hear back after submitting? What exactly needs to be submitted?

Also what would you say makes your company so special for an indie author?

Last question (for now), are you eliminating the need for a literary agent and replacing them as the middle man?

Hi Thatseemsright! Quite a few questions at once!

Reedsy is not a publisher… yet! We started with the marketplace to provide high-quality author services (editing and design/illustration to start and soon marketing). Authors can select up to 5 freelancers and request a quote. We have designed briefs so our freelancers know exactly what type of work is needed from the very beginning. For example, 4 types of editing services are available: editorial assessment, content editing, copy editing and line editing. Once the request has been sent, it's usually a matter of hours before our authors receive their first responses. Our freelancers will provide a sample edit and an outline of what they'll do. The author can then compare the different offers and start collaborating with the person they prefer. We handle the payment using Stripe, which makes the transaction secured.

In the future, we want Reedsy to be more than a marketplace, but where authors create their books, collaborate on them with the best professionals and then download the files to finish the self-publishing process on their own or apply to be published with us. We will then select the best books and act as a publisher while keeping a very small cut of their royalties… The best of both worlds.

What makes Reedsy special? Well, we want to take the "self" out of "self-publishing". We believe that our focus on quality publishing will change the way self-publishing is still perceived by many. In the long term, it'd be amazing for us to make self-publishing a viable alternative to those who have always preferred the traditional path.

Regarding agents, their role is changing and it's hard to know where it's going. What's for sure is that we don't want to be a middle man between indie authors and traditional publishers: you shouldn't keep 5-10% of your royalties, it's a model of the past.

I see you mentioned that they send an outline of what they'll do. In regards to that, at what point in the process do you send a manuscript?

You send a sample at the very beginning (3,000 words) but indicate how long the book is. The full manuscript is only sent once the offer has been accepted.

As an aspiring author and avid reader I have a huge draw to physical books and hopefully seeing my book in physical form one day, which leads me to my last question, have you (or any of your employees) seen a self-published author get picked up eventually by a publishing giant for a physical distribution?

We have seen many! The best example is probably Hugh Howey: www.hughhowey.com

How do we get startups to start giving their businesses normal, somewhat descriptive names again?

Hi Chandlerpopper,

We make all .com domains that are not actively used available again…

I can tell you we spent a lot of time looking for a name. It's very hard to find a .com that doesn't cost a fortune and that describes what your business does…

Does your name have a connection to my alma mater Reed College, or is it just a cute pun?

Hi Po8, Just a cute pun!

Can you speak to the common industry belief that once an author has self-published in any form, major publishing houses are no longer interested in making deals with them? If this is true, why would an author who has a serious interest in a book deal want to work with you?

Hi capo_regime,

This goes back to the debate self-publishing vs traditional publishing. My experience is that many authors traditionally published don't make any money out of their books because they only get 5-10% of the royalties. What if they can get the level of quality of a traditional publisher but keep their rights?

I appreciate your response, but I disagree that "quality" is the principal thing traditional publishers are bringing to the table. You and I both know all kinds of garbage is being cranked out because they think they can sell it, and for no other reason. What they are bringing to the table is their industry connections--their ability to get your book on an endcap in B&N.

Anyone can hire an editor or a graphic designer to help them improve the quality of their book. What I object to is your not-so-subtle use of marketing language ("publishing professionals", etc.) that implies you are a stop on the train ride toward making a book deal. You might have put together a good team of editors, but once you start encouraging people to publish their own ebooks and put them out on Amazon, they are never going to make a book deal.

I get your point. Using the right language to market your product isn't the easiest. We have many ideas to help authors with the marketing and the distribution of their book as well (and some of them don't imply spending a cent), but this is for next year and I can't unveil everything now :).

How does one join as a designer/illustrator? What if I have experience in designing books but not necessarily publisher/author type of work?

Hi gen_mayhem,

Sign up on our homepage and we'll take a look! We sit once a week and go through all the new applications. Then decide who we select to be visible on the marketplace :).

If I was a starting author and wanted to publish a book how would I go about it?

Hi J_Carro11!

Do you mean get your book published or author-publish it? In both cases, I'd first look for an "editorial assessment". It's something most of our editors offer, as do some very reputable organisations in the UK (The Literary Consultancy, Cornerstones, etc.). It's basically to assess the big picture strength and flaws in your book.

After that, if you want to author publish, you should rewrite/edit your book based on the editorial assessment suggestions, have it copy-edited/proofread, designed (cover and interior) and formatted, and then only publish it. There are so many high-quality books out there at the moment that you just cannot afford to put something out there that doesn't respect the standards of traditional publishing, and that's what Reedsy is all about.

Can you give me an example where a Reedsy freelancer has put a published Reedsy project into their professional portfolios?

Do Reedsy freelancers ever hide or obfuscate their association with specific low-quality Reedsy projects? I'd expect that that would happen with traditionally published failed books. Do you require freelancers to 'own' all of their published Reedsy projects on the Reedsy website? Or can a potential client obtain a complete list of a freelancer's projects? That would increase your credibility. We'd expect to see a few failed projects in those lists.

Associating freelancers' professional reputations with Reedsy projects would naturally limit the amount of Vanity Press exploitation that they indulged. Exploiting untalented writers in the tradition of the Vanity Press, and producing crap books would hurt the freelancer's reputation.

This is definitely planned: all their Reedsy collaborations will be listed on their public profiles (similar to what you see on Airbnb with hosts) and freelancers will receive a rating after each project.

As Reedsy is relatively new, we haven't added that feature yet (most of our freelancers would have no rating which would disadvantage them), but we'll add it for sure.

That would surely differentiate Reedsy from vanity publishing in my mind. If I found a Reedsy editor that I really wanted to work with I guess that I should jump on the opportunity to establish a relationship before they get too busy to take on additional projects.

I've been on a writing spree building my back catalog for about four years, but I've been waiting for the publishing world transition to progress, for new opportunities in publishing to emerge and stabilize before I jump in. I've been in no hurry to get distracted or discouraged by a premature publication effort with an industry in chaotic transition. Reedsy is tempting though. I guess that I will look over your stable of freelancers and see whether they have any successful books that are similar to my work.

Please do! Have you already created an an account? Perusing their profiles will give a good idea!

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but here they are:

1) What would the royalty split end up looking like for an average indie writer depending on the number of reedsy services they end up using?

2) Are these fixed price gigs based on the number of services the author needs and are there discounts for bundling a certain number of services?

3) What type of user engagement are you seeing with your service (how much/how long are people writing on your app at a time versus simply uploading portions when they finish)?

Hi rscar77!

We don't offer the possibility for authors to remunerate freelancers on our platform with royalties. Yet. Authors and freelancers agree on price, deadlines and specifications on their own, through the Reedsy platform, but without us meddling in any way. As an author you can ask several freelancers for a quote and decide who to go for based on the sample, the information, and the price they give you.

Also, at the moment we don't have the book writing tool in place yet. We only have the tightly-curated marketplace and the project management tools (briefing, quoting, sampling, contracting, payment, file-sharing, etc.) that go with it.

Hello Emmanuel,

Just a quick question: how do you handle protecting the work of authors? For example whats preventing freelance editors from stealing the authors work?

Thanks.

Hi mVd,

The first thing to know is that we know every freelancer on Reedsy. We only select 5% or less of the applications we receive and only have real professionals. We don't officially protect their work (we are still in beta and need to design a legal solution for that) but as we're storing the files sent, we can help prove it was the author's work if there's a problem.

As an author struggling to find any sort of representation or publishing other than Amazon, what can your site offer me?

Hi xb00tx,

Our focus is on indie authors. As a result, if you decided to self-publish we can definitely help with the promotion of your book. Send us more details at service [at] reedsy.com and we'll take a look.

Is there a market place for short stories - stories similar in theme and atmosphere but still short that can be read in one sitting?

Are short stories a viable option for writers?

I think there used to be: Byliner, which unfortunately wasn't doing that well and was acquired by Vook…

Short stories / long reads are very appreciated these days. However, I don't know if they're a viable option, financially speaking. In terms of length, I know that the trend is to publish shorter books, more often.

I'm trying to get published. Are you guys a good place to start in the industry?

Hi Ryan!

We're a perfect place to turn your current book into a high-quality one. You'll get to work with editors and cover designers who were previously at Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, etc. People who have worked on bestselling books and who know what the standards in the industry are.

As the founder of this company I assume you have read plenty of books. What are some of you favorites? What would you recommend?

Hi tculpepper!

Since I've started Reedsy, I have been extremely busy and probably read less than I used to! However, I'm a big Alice Adventures in Wonderland fan (I have 3 different printed versions, including this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adventures-Wonderland-Clothbound-Classics-Hardcover/dp/B00GOHAF76/ref=sr_1_23?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419353013&sr=1-23&keywords=alice+adventures+in+wonderland and this one http://www.amazon.co.uk/Annotated-Alice-Adventures-Wonderland-Through/dp/0140289291/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419353013&sr=1-17&keywords=alice+adventures+in+wonderland). The "red queen effect" is a concept that I find brillant and which can be applied to many different situations and in diverse environments (business to biology)!

Here's a screenshot of the books I recently finished on my Kindle: http://cl.ly/image/192M1y2Q0t2O Some great reads!

Are you looking for any specific genres/lengths? I'm starting to look into publishing for a sci-fi novella, but I know novellas aren't totally chic right now.

What, in your opinion, is the genre of books that are the most in right now? Dystopia? Fantasy?

Hi LibertarianSocialism!

Any speculative fiction is "in" right now, all the more if it's in a series. From what I've seen, at least in the indie community, romance is pretty big, both in terms of sales and titles published.

As a sequel hating, romance avoiding sort of author, it seems the market hates me.

Though my sequel-happy romance writer of a cousin will be thrilled.

I hear you… we've had the debate within the team!

This interests me. I have a draft that I'm polishing and I just submitted it on Reedsy in search of a content editor. I'm interested to see what comes of it.

Question: It sounds like you have a lot new/in development/in progress at this time. What do you hope to have added to Reedsy by this time next year? Five years from now?

Hi Jenni,

Just saw your request, looking forward to seeing the quotes you'll get!

To answer your question, by this time next year, we will have a full set of collaborative tools to completely change the author-freelancer workflow, including a pretty amazing ebook editor. We'll also have published quite a few books!

Hey Emmanuel - huge bibliophile here, and anything that means more quality books out there is a great idea in my eyes.

• Do you focus mainly on fiction or non-fiction? Which do you think works best via Reedsy?

• How do you select the publishing professionals? Is it a traditional CV/interview selection process, or do you give them sample tasks to do beforehand, anything like that?

• What do you do if none of your freelancers want to work with an author?

• At this point in time what is the best way for an author to market themselves? What support will Reedsy give with marketing? Presumably interviews, PR, review copies, that sort of stuff?

• You mentioned that Reedsy will, in future, publish and take a royalty, like a traditional publisher. With the cost of production for ebooks, why not just publish all books created on Reedsy and take a cut of all of them?

• We have people who can work on both (with bestselling titles in their portfolios in both cases).
• If you look at a freelancer profile, you'll see that we have a lot of information about them: portfolio, work experience, genres they work on, awards, certifications, etc. For example: https://reedsy.com/kiele-raymond It's then simple for us to make a decision. And if we happen to make a mistake, we take the freelancer off the marketplace immediately.
• It hasn't happened yet but if it does, we won't do anything as it'll mean the book isn't good quality enough…
• There is a LOT coming in terms of marketing. We will start by adding marketing professionals to the marketplace. Then we have many little things coming for authors (and completely free) but I can't unveil them now…
• We could, but then we'd be like Smashwords, while we want to publish great books. The reason why we'll take a (small) percentage is that we'll help with the marketing and the distribution ourselves.

That makes a lot of sense - thanks for your answers. Do you do any verification on the freelancers to make sure that they are who they say they are and haven't fabricated credentials or anything? Has that ever happened?

We carefully check everything they put on Reedsy, which usually allows to get a good idea (social network profiles and payment details are hard to make up…).

After watching californication I feel like you have a rough job. Whats an average day in your shoes like? And the craziest?

I can't remember an average/normal day here at Reedsy… Life of a startup is pretty intense! But I have to say, moving from Paris to London in 3 days after being selected for Seedcamp (a startup accelerator) in Berlin was one of the craziest!

Do you end up moving often or at the least traveling all over?

I'm trying to avoid traveling too much during these early stages. I love working on the product so it's my co-founder Ricardo, in charge of the marketing, who spends a lot of time on the plane for conferences and events.

Do you hire interns?

Yes we do, email at service [at] reedsy.com

I don't understand what you are. Are you an agency or a publisher?

Hi HoneyVortex!

Right now, we are a marketplace. An "angency" but with technology, in a sense. Contrarily to an agency, though, we let authors choose exactly who they want to work with. We don't assign an editor or a designer to them.

I run TypeEngine a service that allows others to publish directly to native mobile apps. Would you like to team up?

Hey Jamie! Let's have a chat. Could you send me an email at emmanuel [at] reedsy.com?

Why did you call the site 'Reedsy' when you could have called it 'Readsy'?

Why do you say we could have called it Readsy? It's available as a domain name. And we're not about reading…

I currently have the number one AMA. I am Josh Haddon, a 28 year old stand up, writer and entrepreneur. I have cancer and it's bad. Just found out a few weeks ago. I would like to write a book. A raw, edgy version of Chicken Soup. Maybe, What To Expect When You're Expecting...To Die. Something fun and light for newly diagnosed cancer patients. Where do I start? [email protected] or www.joshhaddon.com

Hi Josh,

We'll be in touch shortly.

Do you have an ETA as to when you'll add the marketing component? I'm a social media manager/consultant who specializes in working with authors.

Hi MDgirlforlife,

Pretty soon, probably in 1 month. If you sign up on our homepage, you'll receive our newsletter and be notified as soon as we open to marketers!

What sets you apart from your rivals? The likes of Bubble Cow etc?

I'm in the process of self-publishing my first novel. I've a pretty strong background in editing, marketing and design (jack of all trades) but it's too time consuming, so I like the sound of your service.

I think a good relationship with your editor is essential, is there any way to test the waters with a few before committing to one?

The difference with Bubble Cow is that you can browse a marketplace of over 200 top professionals who are coming from the best publishing companies. Bubble Cow only gives you choice between 2 people.

And yes, you can test the waters before committing: when sending a request, provide a sample (3,000 words). Our freelancers will provide a sample edit!

At what stage in their writing process do authors generally approach you?

Completed manuscript, unpolished first draft, half-written masterpiece... etc

Hi SylvieK!

Generally, authors approach our editors either at first/second draft for an editorial assessment or at a 4th/5th for a developmental edit. However, most of our freelancers also do copy-editing and proofreading so we do get some authors coming with polished manuscripts for that only.

We also get a lot of cover design requests coming to our designers!

Tough question here:
What's the largest amount of money one of your authors has made?

We have had NYT bestselling authors as clients, making a lot of money out of their books

That doesn't answer the question. I thought the point of an AMA was to generate interesting information in the form of answers to questions. This "answer" doesn't even mean anything. "A lot" is ambiguous, and you're implying -- but clearly not stating, which hints at a false implication -- that your service is in some way related to them being NYT best-selling authors. If you can make a valid connection, do so. Otherwise it's deceptive marketing at best.

As we only offer services through the marketplace at the moment, I don't have that data so I can't tell you more for now.

However, please don't distort what I wrote making a false implication: I said that NYT bestselling authors were using us, nothing else. It's not deceptive marketing but a fact that I think proves (at least to a certain extent) that we provide quality services.

My GF made a profile and the interface seems to be not working, is there anyone i can contact for assistance?

Hi sbrambiz,

There's always a "Help!" button on Reedsy :).

Hi

Thanks for doing this. I'm a photographer, do you do that kind of book publishing and do you have agents and publishers that would promote and distribute the book for a % cut of the sales?

Thanks

Hi grindingnyc,

We don't do photography and don't work with agents unfortunately.

Hi grindingnyc,

We don't do photography and don't work with agents unfortunately.

Hey, I have a couple questions:

1) With the in-browser editor that's forthcoming, what kind of version control / commenting capabilities do you have planned?

2) I'd read the blog with Mitchell Davis of Biblioboard - when the publishing to marketplace aspect of your platform is engaged, will that include submission to their SELF-e library access program?

3) What sort of customer protection do you have in place for writers - i.e. if an editor does not deliver any sort of edits or progress within a specific time frame, will the writer who contracted them be able to recoup their money?

I understand that there is heavy vetting involved, but I want to know what sort of contingencies you have for such instances, and the expectations you set for your editors/publishing professionals.

Hi lonewolfandpub!

1) Our in-browser editing took will allow authors to save different versions of their manuscript. We'll have a track changes system that will also allow authors to see what's been changed in the manuscript compared to the last version saved. For example, once you've finished your manuscript and hand it over to your editor on Reedsy, the editor will be able to either comment on the text or directly make the changes on it, and you will be able to track those changes/see those comments and either accept or reject them.

2) This is exactly what will happen, yes. It's not a formal agreement yet, but it's very likely all our books will be enrolled in the SELF-e program.

3) We will act as a third party mediator in case any problems arise in an author-editor relationship, yes. Also, it's not always the editor's fault. Sometimes it's really no ones' fault, it's just a misunderstanding. By providing an interface where the author has to extensively brief the freelance editor and vice-versa, we make sure both parties agree on the same thing, so that should reduce risk a lot (on top of the heavy vetting you mention).

Are you pro or anti the "choose your own adventure" types of books. Can Ebooks handle these types of stories?

That's a pretty interesting question. ebooks and ePub 3 are web formats, as a result, I'm sure this could be done. However, it won't look as good as a nice app on the iPad…

Sorry if this question has been asked before, but I am really interested in going into publishing books and such. I love reading and want to spend every waking moment with my nose stuck in a book!

Do you have any advice for people trying to make this dream happen? Any certain classes I should take or degrees I should look into?

Hi Chappedstick!

I'm not sure I understand, what you trying to achieve? Goodreads is the best place to end up stuck reading dozens of books!

I think /u/Chappedstick is asking for career advice in the book publishing/related industries

Got it, sorry. To be honest, we've had a lot of interns or employees wanting to join us because they were disenchanted about the perspectives of working in a big publishing company…

I don't really know what these people look for in an employee either, maybe other people here can be of more assistance. I know there are publishing MAs in the UK, and certainly similar degrees in the US, though I don't know what doors these open exactly.

One thing I can recommend, though, is look at the startup scene!! There's plenty going on in the publishing industry and lots of the interesting, innovative stuff is driven by startups. To name a few (apart from Reedsy): Unbound, Contentment, Futureproof, Bibliolabs, IPR License, etc.

Hi OP! I was wondering if your service helps people interested in literary magazines and journals? I write literary short stories mostly for an audience of fellow writers. I know that publishing a collection is sort of a pipe dream - but I'd love to have a way to reach the right gatekeepers at journals and magazines.

Hi drfeelokay!

It's something we don't really do, no… But we're starting to have a nice network of these "gatekeepers" at journals and magazines so we might look into that further in the future, thanks for the suggestion!

Any chance of a job? Creative Writing Masters graduate looking for work !

Hi deee_ri,

Can you email us at service [at] reedsy.com? We will take a look :).

As a founder what challenges you faced.which you never imagined before?

Hi phantey!

When you're just starting out, you need help at different levels sometimes to support the company and sometimes to support you as a founder. Over the past few months, I learnt the importance of having a solid network of people that can help you along the way.

How does one join reedsy?

Hi gradybeard! Thanks for your questions!

Anyone can create an account on Reedsy, just go on our homepage and add your email address: https://reedsy.com/

Any author can request a quote from our professionals. However, freelancers go through our selection process before being made visible on the marketplace. So far, over 200 have been selected among thousands of applications. Our objective is to provide indie authors with the level of quality they'd get with a traditional publisher, while allowing them to benefit from the business model and freedom of self-publishing.