Originally, I was going to analyze Books Unbound. However, Books Unbound is closed for submissions, and the website was last updated in 2006. I believe it has gone out of business. Therefore, I have chosen a new company to investigate: Mundania Press.
Mundania Press was founded in 2002, and is based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Although I found this site in a Directory of E-Publishers, they sell print versions as well, depending on the book. The submission guidelines warn that any accepted manuscripts under 60,000 words will be published in ebook format only. They publish original fiction and out-of-print works, all through electronic submissions.
They have a good-sized staff. In case you are interested, the positions are as follows: COO and Senior Editor, President and Marketing Director, Art Director, Promotions Director, Cover Artist, Webmaster, Executive Assistant, Editor (6), and Artist (8). I am curious to know why there are more artists than editors, but perhaps they work on promotional material that is unavailable on the website.
Mundania Press specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, and paranormal. According to the about page, they select manuscripts “based on the quality of writing, story entertainment value, and sales potential.” (Then again, so does every other trade publisher.) I find their mission statement is better summed up by their trademarked tagline “extraordinary books by talented authors.”
The Home page is dedicated to new releases, with cover art to catch the reader’s eye. In a brick and mortar bookstore, browsers would only be able to see the spine – a definite disadvantage to smaller publishers that the internet can correct.
They offer a full catalog of their books, information on all of their authors, and a Coming Soon section. It is even possible to browse the catalog by “genre.” Some of their genres are invented; there is no such thing as “female sleuths genre.” The term “category” is more fitting than “genre.” However, the browse function is a useful tool if you are only interested in books with female sleuths, zombies, or fairies.
There is a password protected Authors Only section of the site. Although I cannot enter it to investigate, I applaud their efforts to build community among their authors, rather than keep them separate and promote competition.
Mundania Press also attempts to build community among their readers, expanding into various social media. In addition to an onsite blog, they have branched out to Myspace, Facebook, and Youtube.
The blog has a convenient timeline of where they are in acquiring manuscripts from certain months (responses have gone out, still under consideration, etc.). At a glance, those who have submitted their work can see where their manuscript is in the process. The latest blog posts advertise new releases, but the list of post labels includes acquisition tips, covers, interviews, publishing realities, and rights.
Clearly this blog is not only concerned with promoting its new books. It wants to build discussions among its readers – though not take part. While several people have commented on various posts, Mundania Press has not responded to those comments. I think this is a big mistake. By responding to comments, they show readers that they are listening and paying attention to them. Thirty-seven followers are listed in the sidebar. That number is probably higher, since you have to be on Blogger to follow.
The blog also has a link to the Mundania Press Facebook page, which 192 people “like.” Their wall includes posts about new books, interviews, discounts, awards won by authors, and articles by staff members. There appears to be more reader participation on this site, and a stronger sense of community.
Two more social media sites are only linked on the Shopping Cart, which appears out-of-date compared to the rest of the site. The Myspace posts are current, but they appear to be more automatic than their Facebook counterparts. The video book trailers on Youtube are all at least one year old. I believe this suggests that Myspace and the book trailers are past promotional efforts, neglected in the face of new media like Facebook.
Two links from the blog, Freebies and Calendar, are under construction. These pages may be further attempts to build community among readers.
The F.A.Q. is short, but it has questions about ordering books and contacting authors. I believe they recognize that readers associate with authors more than publishers, and gladly promote the relationship to help build a strong readership base.
The site offers gift certificates and wholesale discounts. Although it is not clear, I think the wholesale discount is aimed at bookstores, not individual customers. In addition to having a shopping cart, Mundania Press is also on Fictionwise.com, a Barnes & Noble eBook company. They probably reach more people through Fictionwise than their own site, but this is pure conjecture.
It is mentioned that the website is undergoing reconstruction, and from the shopping cart it is clear that the logo has been updated. Perhaps Mundania Press is working on updating their brand?
On a final note, Mundania Press sells ebooks in a PDF format. While this is not a portable format, like ebooks available to an ereader, it is available to anyone with Adobe. I would argue that this system is less broken than trying to match an ebook with a compatible e-reader, especially for a small press trying to expand their readership.
Mundania Press is small, but they have published many authors and seem to be doing well business-wise. I think they are also doing well at establishing footholds in their readership community, though they could improve by writing more blog post articles (not just rehashing new releases) and replying to readers’ comments.
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