Who owns Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. and what experience do they have to run a publishing company?

Gail Delaney and Jenifer Ranieri are the owners of Desert Breeze Publishing.  Gail Delaney is a multi-published, award winning author of romance in multiple genres.  She is an experienced editor and a scholar of the English language.  She also holds a degree in business management.

Jenifer Ranieri is a writer and a self-proclaimed voracious and critical reader of romance.  She has made it her mission in life to determine what works and what doesn't work in a book, as well as what doesn't work on the outside -- mainly cover art.  She is a skilled artist with an eye for detail, and determined to make Desert Breeze stand out for what we produce -- quality.

Although not an owner, Patrick Delaney will be actively involved in the company as the 'money man' aka Chief Financial Officer.  Patrick holds several degrees in accounting and has 16 years of experience in budgeting, forecasting and daily bookkeeping, 13 years of which were in the newspaper publishing industry.  He keeps Gail and Jenifer grounded when their aspirations approach the lofty.

Is Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. a royalty-paying publisher?

Yes.  Authors will be paid a percentage of the sale price for every copy sold.  This percentage will vary only slightly based on the location of the sale.  All books sold via our storefront will pay the author 35% of net.  All books sold through third party vendors, (such ARe, Fictionwise, Amazon, etc), will receive 40% of net.  We intend to commit ourselves to promoting not only our authors, but the company as a whole.  Proper promotion equals more sales, and more sales equals happier authors.

We are not a vanity or subsidiary publisher.

At this time, we do not pay advances.

What do you consider editing?  Do you just proofread, or do you provide advice and constructive editing?

Chances are that if your novel requires extensive edits for grammar, structure, craft and plot - we will not offer a contract.

However, when we edit, we edit thoroughly.  We're not just going to change spelling errors or typographical errors or grammatical problems.  We are going to give advice on better sentence structure, word choice and sometimes even minor deletions and additions. We're not going to rewrite your story -- If we offered a contract, it's because we like the story.  Any major changes would be suggested before contracts are signed, if that may be the case.

What is the average time from contract to publication?

Due to the overwhelming response of authors and readers, our 'dance card' has filled up nicely.  As of the Summer of 2009, we are scheduling books for release around the Summer of 2010.

Who does the cover art?

Initially all cover art will be created by owner Jenifer Ranieri, or by independent outside artists whom she contracts to complete specific projects.  See our catalog for examples of her work.  As time goes on and the volume dictates additional artists, Jenifer will still keep a firm hand on the quality of work produced.  She intends not to rely solely on stock photography, but to truly create covers by utlizing local talent and seeking out locations befitting the storyline.

As an author, how involved can I be in the creation of cover art?

We want you involved, and as involved as possible.  Upon signing your contract, you will be given a questionnaire to complete with as much detail as you want.  After the Marketing Director has this questionnaire, she will contact you either by email, Internet chat programs, or phone.  The two of you are actually going to talk about what you want and what she sees as possiblities for your cover.  We want everyone to be happy with the final results.

Ultimately, the final decision will be at the discretion of the Marketing Director.

Do you now, or will you be in the future, offering print release of your books?

Initially, as we are a new and growing company, we will be offering books only in electronic format.  However, since we started talking about this company, it has always been our intent to also provide print releases of our successful novels.  At this time, we cannot commit to a time from electronic release to print release.

We are unwilling to set a firm time frame because we are letting the success of our company dictate when print will occur.  We understand that most authors would like to see their books in print -- and we want to get them there.  But, if we run ourselves into the poor house and have to close our doors because we pushed too hard or too fast... that doesn't do anyone any good.

We fully intend to keep our authors informed of our progress.  We believe communication is very important for the success of a company.

What will Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. do to promote themselves as well as their authors?

In a simple answer... a lot.  We believe in promotions and marketing.  Authors can expect to see occassional print ads in the RomanticTImes magazine as well as other print publications.  We will also promote through review sites and other venues.  We will be active attendees at conventions and will coordinate online activities.

We also intend to help our authors with their promotional efforts.  We won't leave you dangling.  We will talk with you and help you get ideas to promote your work in both traditional and unique ways.  We will help by providing you with some promotional materials, as well.  When you receive your cover art, you will also receive banners and icons made specifically for you.  These are just examples of the promotional assistance you can expect.

What makes you different than other publishers?

We could say it's because we won't offer erotica or erotic romance.  But, that only makes us different than most publishers.  We could say it's because we will only offer the best books... but all publishers say the same.

What makes us different is that we want to exceed your expectations, not just meet them.  That goes whether you're a reader or an author.

What benefits do we intend to provide to our readers?

• Our Coming Soon Page will provide more than just a cover.  You will be able to read a blurb and an excerpt, plus any advance reviews that have come in for the books.  And the release date will be clearly stated.
• Readers can sign up to receive newsletters that will bring new release and coming soon information right to your inbox.  As well as upcoming events and author news of interest.  *Coming Soon*
• A secure shopping cart with multiple methods of payment for your convenience.  Payment information can be held on file for you so you don't have to enter it every time.
• All books you've purchased remain in your order history, so they can be downloaded again later if you have system issues and the books are lost.
• Gift giving options that allow you to either purchase gift certificates in monetary values, or you can purchase a specific book for a friend and we will send it right to them -- with a note from you.
• Contests, Raffles and Giveaways.
• Events that let you interact with the authors.
• Competitive book pricing.

What benefits do we intend to provide to our authors?

• Open and active communication between you and both the editorial and marketing staff.  If you want to contact us via email or chat, that's fine.  But, if you want to actually talk to us -- that's great!  We can make ourselves available to you, because sometimes an email just isn't enough.
• Ongoing education and assistance in promotions and marketing, with monthly reports provided so you can proactively act on your marketing strategies to increase sales.
• Marketing materials available thorugh Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc.
• Promotion Incentives.
• Group and company sponsored promotional events.
• Active author feedback into cover artwork.  You will work with the artist to create a cover you both can be happy with.
• Monthly royalty payments on all books sold through our storefront.  Payments from third party distributors will be paid matching the payment schedule to us.  I.E.  Fictionwise pays quarterly.  Every three months, your royalty payment from us will reflect not only sales through our storefront, but additional sales from outside sources.
• Multiple sales outlets to increase sales potential.
• Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. will take care of copyright paperwork for all novels that have not already been copyrighted.
• At the discretion of Desert Breeze Publshing, Inc. Management, we may choose to selectively cover the expense of submitting published novels to contests such as the EPPIES.
• Banners, Icons and soft copy promotional materials provided with cover artwork for display on your website, or for use in chat programs or other promotional outlets.

As we move forward, this list may be adjusted or expanded upon.

Where does the company see themselves in five years?

We intend to be filthy rich -- along with all our authors -- and living on Easy Street.  There will probably be several movie deals in the works, and actors will be knocking down our doors to have a chance to act in a screen play adapted from one of our amazing novels.

Oh, you mean realistically?  :-)

Five years from now, we intend to have increased our monthly ebook releases by at least 200%, and intend to offer select novels from our catalog as a whole in print for sale in bookstores across the nation.  As the work load increases, we will hire editorial and creative staff who will be trained in the quality standards we have established, so editing and artwork will be consistent and of the highest quality.  We also intend to eventually look into options such as audio books and other sales venues.

Can I see a copy of your contract?

Our contract stands as a legal document between Desert Breeze Publishing, Inc. and an author to whom we have offered publication.  As such, we do not offer the boilerplate for public review.  Should you have any questions regarding your contract after you have received it, do not hesitate to contact us.

Our contract has been carefully reviewed for legality and fairness to all parties.  For this reason, we do not consider the terms of the contract negotiable.  No changes will be made to any contract clauses.

If you have any questions that have not been answered here, please email us at our customer service email and we will get back to you.  If it's a question we think would benefit our readers and potential authors by being listed on this page, we will add it for future reference.

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