Author Information – Promotion Guidelines – Publishing Guidelines – Publishing Schedule
Do you accept unsolicited manuscripts ?
Yes Chipmunkapublishing does accept unsolicited manuscripts. You do not need to have a literary agent to be considered by us. Chipmunkapublishing also receives manuscripts from mental health workers or representatvies and literary agents around the world.
How can I submit manuscripts ?
We only consider manuscripts that are emailed to us. Please read our contact us page for our submission guidelines.
Does Chipmunka Edit books ?
Yes Chipmunka does edit books although not in as much detail as a traditional publisher. Chipmunka editors are volunteers and are either arts university students or retired editors. Chipmunka will look for repetition, potential legal, copyright issues and will look to correct typos in your book although the responsibility of the text remains with the author and how the quality in which they submit their book in the first place and when they sign off the text and cover at paperback stage. For more detail as to how all this works please read the volunteer and publishing schedule pages on the website.
If successful how much will my book be sold for ?
The price of your book will depend on the type of format and also the number of pages of your book. The price is determined by Chipmunkapublishing’s pricing policy. Most e-books we sell for £5 and the lowest we sell paperbacks for is £10 if sold to a customer via the booktrade or £12 if delivered to the customer’s home address. If your paperback has more than 250 pages we will sell it for £12.99 or more. Please read further down the FAQ page, in the trade and on our website for pricing. From September 2011 Chipmunka is very excited about publishing higher value products such as home study courses, training manuals etc.. E-book versions of these products will retail from a minimum price of £19 up to £99 and paperback versions will retail from £47 up to £299. As an author this means more royalties per sale. It also positions you as a real expert and potential world leader in your niche. These higher value products will be more competitive and will be in A4 format. Chipmunka has done considerable market research in this area and are really excited about this opportunity. More details can be found on the Chipmunka shop in the home study courses section and on our contact us page.
What Languages do you publish in ?
We usually publish in English or in American spelling if the author is based in the USA. We have also published in German, Dutch, French, Swedish, Polish, Italian and some other languages. We do not translate books ourselves but from time to time people volunteer to translate a book they like or if they want a career as a translator and want something on their cv. It may be that an author is bilingual and wants to write a book in two languages or a volunteer may offer to translate the manuscript.
How many books do you publish a year ?
Chipmunka publishes up to 30 e-books and 30 paperbacks a year.
How many pages can the books be ?
Books can vary in length. E-books can be from 50 up to 1000 pages. Paperbacks can be between 50 and 752 pages. Average lengths are about 100 for e-book which turns into about 150 pages at paperback stage.
If I am offered a contract what happens next ?
You will need to Email back the signed contract and inform us of which publishing option you have chosen. Once we know this we can begin to proofread and format your manuscript for publication. Depending on the publishing option and how quickly you sign off your text and cover, this will take from between 3 and 6 months, but you will be informed at every step of the process and asked for your approval after editing and formatting.
What promotion do you do and what do you expect from me as an author ?
Chipmunka will promote your product but the best advocate is always the author and Chipmunka is always focused on growing the brand in order to serve the client better. You can view our Promotion Guide for further information on promoting your work.
Do you pay royalties ?
Yes we do pay royalties on every book sold. (paperback and e-book).
How and when are royalties paid ?
Royalties are paid once a year in arrears in November. Royalties are worked out from from 1st of October to the 30th of September each year.
Do not worry if your royalties are low. Chipmunka is still committed to publishing you as we want to give you a voice. If your royalties are high and you are on benefits you may like to receive some free books or donate your royalties. For advice on how much money you can receive on the benefits you are on please refer to the appropriate government website.The Chipmunka Team cannot advise on this. We strongly recommend that nobody comes off benefits as a result of signing up with us.
We only email authors where royalties are due each year. This is to keep people’s mental health positive. Each year there may be a couple of authors that have been unwell or did not reply to our correspondence. (if you ever change numbers or move address please email production@chipmunkapublishing.com who manages all royalty payments and changes of email/address etc.).
Every year when you see your sales figures please email us back what you want; free books, to donate your royalties or a cheque. We need you to email your address for any cheques or free books you want sent out. Confirm your address and we will either send the cheque or the appropriate number of free books at standard author discount, instead of royalties.
Any request for sales reports outside of October, when we deliver our annual reports, will be subject to a £20 administration fee. This is payable as a donation via the following link CLICK HERE
Remember that authors are able to make bulk order purchases at a reduced rate.
Authors receive royalties for e-books sold on the Chipmunka website and the trade and royalties for paperbacks sold through the Chipmunka shop and of course the whole book trade (both online and bookshops globally).
Online Distributors’ Statistics and How we Gather Sales
On Amazon and many other websites there are retailers that can supply paperbacks. Please note in many cases except Amazon they DO NOT hold the books as stock but rather they use POD to fufil the order. The figures on these sites are often misleading e.g. Amazon ‘Used and New’ are third party vendors integrated to the market place electronically without any stock. This gives a disjointed view on the number of books that have been printed and are in stock although has its benefits as it teases the consumer into buying. Every POD publisher that integrates has this problem. They talk about the possible number of books available which is of course infinite as it depends how many people may want to buy a title.
When we work out royalties for paperbacks we base them on actual sales from our printer who send us the sales figures in excel format. (the only people who can produce the book). When sales for ebooks from our website (we use our zencart shop statistics) and with Amazon Kindle we use the Kindle publishers interface sales report.
Who are your printer’s distribution partners?
Distribution partners in the US: Ingram; Amazon.com; Baker & Taylor; Barnes & Noble; NACSCORP; Espresso Book Machine.
Distribution partners in the UK: Amazon.co.uk; Bertrams; Blackwell; Book Depository Ltd; Gardners; Mallory International; Paperback Shop Ltd; Argosy Ireland; Eden Interactive Ltd; Aphrohead; PubEasy; Libreria Ledi; Agapea; Adlibris.
Our books are available in a host of other online book stores/retailers, although the meta data is the most accurate from the companies above.
Author, Charity and Bookshop discounts for Paperbacks Only
If you, a charity or a bookshop (most bookshops will buy directly through the trade) buy a minimum of 6 books on the website at full price we will automatically give you 10. e.g. If your book is £12 (as this includes delivery) you pay 6X12=£72 and receive 10 books,
Buy 6 at full price and we give you 10
Buy 12 at full price and we give you 21
Buy 18 at full price and we give you 32
Buy 24 at full price and we give you 44
Buy 30 at full price and we give you 56
Buy 60 at full price and we give you 115
Buy 120 at full price and we give you 240
Buy 240 at full price and we give you 490
Buy 480 at full price and we give you 1050
This offer is the same whatever the price of your book on the website. books that are more expensive can be sold at greater profit as the retail price is higher.
