[N.D. Taylor]

This came to our message box on Facebook last night. I've never heard of these people before so I am naturally skeptical.

Hey A. Payne,

I hope all is well! I am contacting you because I was very impressed with your books and writing. While I haven't had the chance to read through them, I have added them to my list and look forward to checking them out in the coming weeks! I don't want to take too much of your time, I know you're very busy, so I will cut to the chase.

My name is Brian Hermansen, and I am a co-owner of Broadsword Books, an online distribution and publishing solution for independent authors. In summary, Broadsword Books focuses on fantasy and science fiction novels, providing a one-stop-shop for authors. We provide professional book cover designs, maps, editing, professional reviews, book to audio services, etc.

Ultimately, however, we want to help authors make as much money as possible. While there are several places that allow authors the opportunity to upload and sell his or her books, we want to make the process easier than ever. Authors will set their own prices and receive a custom link (chosen by them) where fans can view and purchase PDF, audio or physical copies of their work.

Of course, we are striving to provide authors with as much profit as possible. As such, Broadsword Books only takes $.50 from each sale, while the rest is sent directly to the author's paypal account every two weeks. In addition, we will list author's books on Amazon (if they have not already done that) free of charge.

I know that you've done very well thus far as an independent author. The reason I am contacting you this morning is simply to talk to you about the possibility of digital distribution on our website. At this time, we are still very young and we are looking for professional, independent authors who can help us build an abundance of available novels for our readers. While we normally charge $.50 per sale, we would be willing to give you 100% of all the money generated from your books, as your content will help us build our name.

Simply put, we would be honored to sell your books on our website. I have been very impressed with everything you have done thus far, from writing to cover design, and feel that Broadsword Books is the perfect place for your books. This is not a publishing deal - there are no contracts & no long term commitments - just a place for you to sell your works and hopefully make a decent amount of money! Again, we would be more than happy to promote your works on our site via a variety of marketing campaigns and give you 100% of any and all profit that your novel generates.

I am available to speak more both day and night. Feel free to hit me with any questions or concerns that you might have by emailing me back directly or calling me at our business phone number, 1-800-659-3813. Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Broadsword Books

Have any of you heard of them? Done business? Anything?

 

[Guest]

broadswordbooks.com

has info, store, phone number, and chat

 

[Bluebonnet]

Sorry, but they sound like just another vanity publisher out to get your money. I saw a big red flag when the person said "I was very impressed with your books and writing. While I haven't had the chance to read through them..." How can the person possibly be impressed without having read the books? This is marketing BS.

http://broadswordbooks.com/publish-your-book/
They are selling editing services, illustrations, printing, marketing, etc. This page, "Publish your book," says "we accept submissions... upload at least five chapters of your book... and a detailed summary." Then they say "Once your book has been uploaded and submitted, we'll review it and get back to you within 2-3 weeks. If we like what we see, we'll be contacting you to talk more about a publishing contract! If chosen, you'll have close contact with our in-house editors, publishers and much more."

http://broadswordbooks.com/editing/
They said they charge $15 per 1,000 words for editing.

http://broadswordbooks.com/book-covers/
They charge $299.99 for a cover. They say the artist will make the cover to your specifications although they did NOT say it would be a custom design exclusive to you.

http://broadswordbooks.com/maps/
They charge $59.99 to $99.99 for a map, 3 choices of styles. (Such as fantasy land map.) I didn't click on those so I don't know if they are premade maps where you would just plug in the names of your fantasy cities.

http://broadswordbooks.com/sell-with-us/
This is the "sell with us" page. Nothing is on it except "Service coming soon."

Well, for sure the service isn't there yet. I couldn't see where they are actually selling any books from the site. They do have a "Store" page:
http://broadswordbooks.com/buy-books/
... but you can't click and buy a book. They have this store page divided into two sections: Independent Authors and Broadsword Authors. Under Independent Authors/Indie Authors they list 32 books by some big names, like Amanda Hocking. However, when I clicked on the thumbnail of one of her books, all that came up was a book summary and a short section to read (like a Look Inside). There was no Add to Cart or Buy button. Under Broadsword Authors, nothing at all came up. Zero books.

Looks like you might be able to buy a map or a book cover with the cart, but you can't buy any books. I would avoid them for the book publishing/bookselling part, but someone needing a map or cover might be interested in seeing what they can do. (Unless you have to sign their publishing contract to buy a map or a cover.)

 

[Trans-Human]

They are very contradictory

First they say several times they have been impressed with what you have done so far (?) and your writing, yet they mention a couple of times they have not really read any of your books. I would question them if they read your blurb at all too!

Then they say that what they offer is not a publishing contract, yet on their website where they offer their services, they say "If we like what we see, we'll be contacting you to talk more about a publishing contract!"

I would steer away from them if I were you. Indie authors have become the #1 prey to these types of murky businesses. Especially if they are starting out and have no clue of the potential dangers in the industry.

 

[Guest]

Sounds like they are trying to inflate their backlist by getting authors to list their books on their site, thus creating the appearance that they are in fact the publisher. This has the added benefit of encouraging you to drive traffic to their site, since you would make 100% of the sale, thus promoting their shady site for them.

 

[N.D. Taylor]

Thanks, Bards and Sages. At least you guys have confirmed my thoughts and this thread is now here as a warning to anyone else who may want to search information about them. I felt wary initially, but I didn't want to pass up a potential good deal either if anyone had ever heard of them and were currently in the midst of trying them out.

I've just worked too hard this past year to work for someone else too.

 

[Carol (was Dara)]

When in doubt, check the Bewares, Recommendations, and Background Checks section of Absolute Write. If anybody has experience with them, they'll be listed there.

 

[Kathryn Meyer Griffith]

Run.

 

[A. Payne]

Thanks, all, for the great insights. When Nick and I first received this message we both sort of raised our brows and went WTF. We pretty much figured the same things, but it is always reassuring to get other people's views and see if they match our initial assessment.

I mean, c'mon, really? You're impressed with our work but you admit that you haven't read it That and they couldn't even be bothered to address it to BOTH of us. Two authors, listed right there on the cover. LOL

 

[LArtra]

I just got the exact same message, word perfect via my web site's feedback form. So I came here looking to see if anyone else has seen them. I agree they are obviously a vanity publisher trying to get new authors to blow good money on their services. Glad this thread was already here!

 

[555aaa]

They made you an offer, so why don't you counter-offer that they will pay you to have your book on their site. Pick a number and ask for money.

 

[Doglover]

These are the new vanity publishers aren't they? I mean all these sorts of people. They are offering nothing you cannot do for yourself and the one thing you might need is marketing. You need a marketing company, not someone trying to get rich at your expense. I had an interesting conversation with Inkshares on the kdp forum, which had sent out emails similar to this but put an apostrophe where no apostrophe has a right to be. The executive whatever was trying to convince everyone that we need at least $5,000 to self publish and look how much cheaper we are.

These people are going the way of the dodo and trying to hang on at the expense of writers who don't have the confidence to go it alone.