In addition to the information
presented elsewhere in this site (primarily relevant sections of
the About page, the How It Works page, the general FAQ page,
and the nonfiction author's FAQ page), the following specialized list of frequently asked questions should provide useful information to our authors. They are arranged in no particular order.
Are you a "vanity press"?
No—we are not a vanity press by any means. (Nor are we a "subsidy publisher," wherein the publisher agrees to subsidize some part of some production costs while the author finances the remaining expenses and even reimburses the publisher a percent of any profit.)
So-called vanity presses charge authors for every part of the publishing process: editing, typesetting, designing, proofreading, printing, binding, distributing, marketing—all depending on what package the author buys or how much he or she is willing to pay.
We do not charge any fees to our writers. We absorb all of the expense of providing editorial services and publishing your story on the Web site. Keep reading the FAQs for additional benefits that we provide at no charge.
So, what do I actually get?
The largest benefits are free editorial assistance and online publication, but you'll find a more complete list here. The editorial services alone can save you thousands of dollars on a project like a full-sized book! And, you end up with an edited manuscript that you can take anywhere else if you are not happy with us. Of course, that never happens and we hope you don't, but the option is yours!
With online publication, you can promote your "piece" and reference it on other Web sites. In addition, if you are brave enough, you are invited to solicit feedback from your readers by attaching contact information to the end of each piece.
Another benefit to publishing with us is that, if you gather a following of loyal readers, you can earn some financial help towards your writing expenses. We place a "support this author" button at the bottom of each story or serialized installment and encourage readers to contribute. We also have plans for an author scholarship fund down the road; those funds may be directed to individual authors, as well.
Finally, following the successful serialization of your story in our virtual and print magazines, your work will be reformatted for publication as a virtual book, or e-book, and as a POD paperback. You might also be selected for inclusion in one of our published anthologies—well, you might!
How good of a writer do I have to be?
The answer you want to hear: don't worry about it.
Our experience has run the gamut from successful, published authors . . . to subject experts who couldn't get a point across in an understandable fashion . . . to public speakers who could charm your proverbial socks off but not write a shopping list . . . to new, beginning writers with big hopes—and doubts.
If you've written something you even think you want to publish, let's give it a shot. In most cases, you will give up before we do! If it helps, remember these three points:
- you can write and revise and publish just one section at a time if
you are more comfortable working that way and seeing progress, and
- we are here to help you say what you want to say so your words represent
you in proud fashion and reach the appropriate audience, and
- no one writes a final version off the top of their head; everyone writes a first draft.
Bottom line? Submit, and we'll see what happens.
Who makes the decision to publish?
The ultimate decision lies with theGayEditor and the advisory board of The Gay Publishing Company. Outside readers and target audiences might be included for larger or "questionable" pieces.
Do you pay an advance for manuscripts?
At this point, we do not pay advances for manuscripts. For the most part, today's "advances" are advances against royalties, anyway—which means (really) that you repay the advance to the publisher through your early earnings. Instead of paying a phantom advance, we place a "support this author" button at the bottom of each story or serialized installment. Any of your readers may choose to contribute, and all those earnings are 100 percent yours.
What is your royalty rate?
Once serialization is complete and your work is reformatted and released as a “virtual” book, or e-book, and/or as a POD paper-paged book, you will receive royalties. Without getting into too much detail, royalty payments will be calculated as follows:
- Base royalties on new, first-time-sold copies and initial downloads will be calculated on the actual retail selling price at the rate of 35% on the first 5,000 copies, 40% on the next 5,000, and 45% thereafter.
- Royalties on copies sold outside normal trade channels and at reduced per-copy rates—through book clubs, special marketing plans, promotional sales, or as remainders, for example—will be calculated at a flat rate of 35% on the sale’s total net income.
- Royalties on first-time-sold copies that are purchased through mass discounters and wholesalers—including physical stores such as and similar to Costco or online sites such as and similar to Amazon.com and IndieReader.com—will be calculated at a flat rate of 25% on the actual retail selling price as reported by the vendor.
How much do I have to pay you for publication?
The Gay Publishing Company follows the "traditional publishing model," which means you do not pay for any editing or publishing work up front. You may, however, decide you want to promote your work in the future, but that money is not paid to us; it is money you decide to use at your discretion, where and when you wish. When that time arrives, we do have a reimbursement program to help with those expenses.
How much publicity and promotion will you do for my book?
The Gay Publishing Company will provide a basic promotion effort for your book that includes distributing press releases, posting blog announcements, and securing interviews and reviews. We also represent you at Pride events and other gay gatherings. In addition, we provide a permalink that you can use as a landing point or a reference when advertising and promoting your work elsewhere. That's lots of free publicity!
What is the ideal length of a submission?
Remember in school when silly students (I'm sure you always knew better) asked this question about writing assignments? The answer you probably heard holds true here, too—write until you're finished! Or, until you get to a natural break or a good stopping point.
But, that answer only applies to an entire piece of writing—a whole book,
for instance.
For our purposes, serialized "pieces" will run between 1,500 and 2,500 or 3,000 words. That means that flash fiction and short stories will be published intact, as one piece. Longer works, such as novels, memoirs, or plays, will be broken up into chapters or scenes for publication and serialized, to be published in the magazine at different times.
Check the Submission Guidelines page of this Web site for additional, more helpful information.
Can I make changes to my piece after publication?
Yes, arrangements can be made to update published pieces as long as the changes are not, as determined by theGayEditor, "extensive." Revisions that are judged to be extensive should be resubmitted with the notation that the revision replaces the original version.
Do I have to be a subscriber to submit a piece?
No, you do not have to subscribe. You will have access to viewing your complete story (or stories) even if you do not subscribe. However, if you want access to the writings of other authors, you will need to subscribe.
What style manual is used?
As is common with most materials intended for the general public, The Gay Publishing Company uses the current Chicago Manual of Style, as well as a variety of recognized and accepted, specialized references. But, as an author, you don't really have to worry about that—your job is to write!
Who holds the copyright on published pieces?
This is really not as complicated an issue as many publishers make it. The basic answer is that The Gay Publishing Company (as the publisher and investor in the piece) does not hold any rights to the copyright of your material. The copyright is yours—as it should be, since the work is your creation. You also have the right to receive any relevant electronic files that reflect the current state of the project.
As for the "publishing rights," which is what most authors are really concerned about (even though they don't know it), The Gay Publishing Company requests that you allow us an exclusive first-option license (or, right of first offer) to produce, publish, distribute, and sell all variations and all derivative products of a work in whole or in part. We also request that you allow us to retain territorial and language rights and reserved, or future, rights on an exclusive first-option license (or, right of first offer) basis. As the author, we invite you to work with us and encourage you to retain control over all final decisions on agreements that exercise or exploit those rights.
Unlike most publishers, we do acknowledge that you are the originator of your creations, that you are entitled to claim all rights, and that you have the right to continue working on and improving the relevant work. If you feel you have a better advantage for transforming any rights than has The Gay Publishing Company, we will not prevent you from exercising or exploiting any rights.
With that said, whenever you get ready to publish another work, we would like to ask that you consider The Gay Publishing Company when shopping the finished product around for publication. After all, we've developed a relationship and done a lot of work together already.
How much time passes between submission and publication?
As an e-publisher, our pre-publication time frames are relatively short. Besides
the advantages of e-publication, we primarily work with smaller pieces and serializations that can be handled more expeditiously. When you consider that
our subscribers are our bread and butter, and that feeding them a variety of
ever-changing posts keeps them happy, then you see that we have to move pretty quickly! Seriously (though that was serious, too), here are the basic steps between submission and publication:
- You submit the piece.
- The submission is reviewed by The Gay Publishing Company, a
process that usually takes no more than one to two weeks.
- If changes or corrections are suggested, you revise the work; the
timing of this step depends on your schedule.
- The revised submission is reviewed again, again usually within a week or two.
- If additional changes are needed, the submission is returned to you
again; again, the timing of this step depends on your schedule.
- If the piece is accepted, it will generally be posted within another week.
Do you accept poetry?
At this time, we are not planning to publish complete works of poetry in the foreseeable future. Of course, if popular opinion demands it, we'll gladly buckle to the pressure. We will, however, publish an occasional poem or poetic piece as filler—and we mean that in the best possible way, regardless of how it sounds!
If your question was not asked
here, or if the answer didn't quite fit your scenario, please contact The Gay Publishing Company so you can get back on your writing path.
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