Bridle Path Press is the creation of a group of writers who were frustrated by the limited opportunities offered by commercial presses, but reluctant to plunge into the amorphous, anonymous world of print-on-demand services. Writers who publish with BPP invest in their own books and retain one hundred percent ownership of their work. All books must be approved by our editorial board, ensuring the high quality of our press. Together, working on a pay-it-forward basis, we provide our authors with free editing, and give crucial advice on book production and marketing. Our books are offered for sale through our website, at Amazon.com, and at select independent bookstores. We have the capability of publishing anything from ebooks to paperbacks to coffee table books, based on the needs of the author.
Looking for a way to reach your audience? You don't have to go it alone. Join our publishing cooperative. Send a brief description of yourself and your book to bridlepathpress@gmail.com.
We invite you to read our books to see how BPP is working for other authors. Get to know us on facebook and at workshops, classes, and conferences in your area. Following is an interview with MK Graff, author of The Blue Virgin, who talks about her experience publishing a traditional paperback book with Bridle Path Press.
BPP: Thanks for taking the time to meet with us. Can you tell us a little bit about The Blue Virgin?
MKG: Sure. The Blue Virgin is a combination of a cozy and a police procedural. It’s set in Oxford, England, a place I feel a special affinity for. I always choose my setting carefully, because I believe it is vastly important to a mystery, as it almost becomes a character. In the book, American writer Nora Tierney gets involved in clearing her best friend, Val Rogan, of the suspicion she has murdered her partner, Bryn Wallace.
BPP: What brought you to Bridle Path Press?
MKG: I’ve had a good New York agent for many years who’s been unable to sell my novels. All of my rejection notices complimented my writing; the drawback was the publisher’s concern about selling an unknown American writer of a British mystery. In today’s world, traditional publishers are going with the sure bet, and you only become that way if you bring a track record. Their budgets are cut, their funding for marketing has become almost non-existent. This accounts for the steep rise in self and independent publishing. Authors are getting in print by investing in themselves and building their own audience.
BPP: Then why not choose a Print on Demand service for your book? What made BPP so appealing to you?
MKG: There are several factors. First, I wanted to be involved with the design and production process. I wanted to make the decisions about what my book looked like, what the thickness of the paper should be and what color, things like that, in order to make it my own. In short, I wanted to control the publishing process. I also needed to retain complete ownership of my work, and through BPP that’s how they operate. Bridle Path Press makes no money, which makes it the most unique independent publisher around. Lastly, being a part of BPP puts me in touch with a community I enjoy being a part of, one whose mission is to encourage authors to publish their works and which offers them help and advice on how do it.
BPP: Walk us through the process. If a writer wants to publish with BPP, what should he or she expect?
MKG: An author submits his work to the press. Usually he will identify someone on the editorial board who is interested in his kind of work and engage that person as his sponsor. The rest of the editorial board then gives the manuscript a read to see if it’s a good fit for the press. Once the mss is approved, a member of the board will work with the writer on any editing that may be needed. In addition, the writer may contract with a copyeditor to polish the mss to the best it can be. BPP provided me with great editing on the pacing of my manuscript--which ensured that the final product would be a thrilling page-turner. The press also has a phalanx of talented contacts who helped me find a great copyeditor and book designer, assisted me with the nuts and bolts of publication, like obtaining an ISBN number and a bar code for selling the book. And it gave me the support of people who’ve been through this process themselves and understood my goal. Cover design would commence, as would choosing a printer. After the proof is received, the actual printing occurs. With people to help me through the process, I never felt alone or anxious.
BPP: But you said the press makes no money. How can it afford to give writers so much help?
MKG: You are investing in yourself, and part of that is to “pay it forward” in helping the next author get her work into print. That community comes to the forefront then, with everyone pitching in their expertise to the new learner. It’s become a round robin of achievement and assistance.
BPP: Can you give us some idea of the costs?
MKG: The ISBN number and bar code is $150. Editing by the press is free, but copyediting, if needed, is approx $2.50 per page, so the size of your manuscript affects both the copyediting and the printing costs. The book designer I used charged $3500 for the entire project. This includes the actual cover design, the text layout inside, the font design inside, adding the bar code to the cover, adjusting the spine to the correct width, etc., all things a professional has to do. I chose a Georgia printer who was able to give me a perfect bound trade softcover with a color cover for $5.23 a copy.
BPP: How has publishing with BPP affected your writing?
MKG: It’s clear to me on several levels. The first is my delight in publishing my work, holding the book in my hands, seeing my name on the byline and knowing the hard work and time that went into it. It’s helped me to feel closer to my writing, as an actual product I’m excited about and proud of. Being a part of the BPP community and being taken seriously as a writer is one of the best things possible. And of course, the outgrowth of that is that others take me seriously, from the book signings I’ve done and continue to do, to the radio interview I had last week. It just plain feels good to be seen as a writer.
BPP: What kind of writer do you think would be a good candidate for BPP?
MKG: Any writer with a strong manuscript, in any genre except pornography or extreme violence, should consider BPP. BPP is open to any kind of writing, and since the editors base their decision on quality alone, they are looking for works with mature, complete visions. The press is especially useful to writers who otherwise would have trouble making it into print: people who have collections of short stories or poetry, or have been deemed too “literary” for the marketplace. Writers must accept the idea of working and sharing within this community, and of investing in themselves. And they should be prepared, after a lot of hard work, to feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment and success.