The Treehouse

Although Blank Slate Press was founded by writers, our intention from the very beginning was to never publish our own work. When I meet people at conferences and they find out that I’m both a publisher and an author who is currently pitching a novel, I am always asked, “Why don’t you just publish your own work?” My reply?

“Because many in the publishing world will devalue the work of our other authors if we publish our own work as well and our author’s work must come first.”

For instance, while going through the process of joining professional literary organizations as a publisher, many of the groups ask specifically if you publish your own work. If so, they don’t want you to join (or they won’t list you as an “approved” publisher) because then you’re not a legitimate publisher–you’re just a self-publisher in real publisher’s clothing.

But … yet … as the publishing industry continues to evolve and as I continue to get lovely rejection notes praising my writing but lamenting that my period (Ancient Greece) is a hard sell, I wonder …

If agents don’t want to take a chance, perhaps I should go ahead and give it a go myself. After all, I know how to bring books to market.

But, I value the wisdom and creativity of community and I don’t really want to go it alone. I don’t really want to “self” publish, I want to be a part of something larger than myself.

And, most importantly, I don’t want to devalue the Blank Slate Press brand. So, I’ve been thinking about a middle path for my fiction. (To learn more about my current writing project, visit my author site.)

But, while I’m mulling over my decision regarding whether or not to publish my own work, we are jumping into the fray with our hybrid publishing imprint: Treehouse Publishing, or The Treehouse.

An E-stributor Partnership for the
Entrepreneurial Author

The best description of The Treehouse model is that of an “e-stributor” as envisioned by Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath in Ebooks and Self-Publishing: A Conversation Between Authors Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath (Kindle Location 1375). On the one hand, we offer for-hire editorial/design services to help entrepreneurial indie authors/publishers prepare their books for publication with award-winning editing, and professional interior and cover design, and, on the other hand, we offer an imprint designed for authors who want a business partner to help track orders, prepare monthly sales/royalty statements, and engage in and support marketing and promotions efforts for their work.

So, to simplify, the Treehouse e-stributor model offers two tracks: 1. Fee-based Pre-publicaton Editorial/Design Services, and 2. Royalty-based Publication & Ongoing Post-publication Support

In the first instance, indie authors/publishers simply pay for the services they need—including holistic/development editorial guidance, line editing, copyediting and proofreading, cover design, ISBN acquisition, book layout, and ebook formatting—and when those tasks are completed, final press-ready pdf or ebook formatted files are delivered to the author. They can then go on to publish their own work and earn 100% of the revenues from their sales.

In the second instance, if the author wants a partner for the long haul, the author can continue the relationship with The Treehouse by publishing their work under the Treehouse imprint. Our team will then help process incoming web orders, interface with the printer/retailer, prepare sales/royalty statements, and help with ongoing sales and marketing efforts. For those additional ongoing services, the author earns 85% of the revenue while the Treehouse receives a 15% royalty of each book sold (royalties are calculated on the gross revenue minus printing/shipping/handling costs, retailer discounts, and electronic delivery fees).

The e-stributor model thus turns publishing on its head and allows entrepreneurial authors the ability to take advantage of the services they need to produce the best books possible while at the same time ensuring that the author—the creator of the work—gets marketing and back-office support, if wanted, all the while receiving the lion’s share of whatever revenues accrue from sales of the work.

The Two Tracks of The Treehouse E-stributor Model

1. Fee-based Pre-publication Editorial/
Design Services

2. Royalty-based Publication & Ongoing
Post-publication Support
Editing – We do everything from overall editorial guidance to line editing, copyediting and proofreading. The fee varies and is based on the length of the book and the amount of editing needed/desired/ required to get the book ready for publication. As always you get the final say. Editing – We do everything from overall editorial guidance to line editing, copyediting and proofreading. The fee varies and is based on the length of the book and the amount of editing needed/desired/required to get the book ready for publication. As always you get the final say.
Cover Design – Our professional designer works with you to create a cover that resonates to readers, reflects the essence of your work, and makes you proud. As always you get the final say. Cover Design – Our professional designer works with you to create a cover that resonates to readers, reflects the essence of your work, and makes you proud. As always you get the final say.
We obtain the ISBN number(s) for print and ebook versions. We obtain the ISBN number(s) for print and ebook versions.
We design and layout the interior of the book. As always you get the final say. We design and layout the interior of the book. As always you get the final say.
We write jacket copy, author bios, and help you contact other authors for reviews and blurbs. As always you get the final say. We write jacket copy, author bios, and help you contact other authors for reviews and blurbs. As always you get the final say.
We format the work for various ebook formats, and we provide final press quality pdf files and ebook files if you would like to handle uploading and managing your own accounts. We format the work for various ebook formats, and we provide final press quality pdf files and ebook files if you would like to handle uploading and managing your own accounts.
We review and upload your files to LightningSource/CoreSource and online retailers including Amazon, B&N PubIt!, and Smashwords.
We’ll help you identify book reviewers and bloggers and send out eARCs to interested readers.
We manage orders and create sales and royalty statements.
We send you your royalty payments on a monthly basis.
We use email marketing tools like Constant Contact and social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to promote your work.
We will help you arrange book signings and reading events and make sure print books—if needed—are sent to event sites.