Pomegranate Press Review

Amazon UK Titles Listed – 74

Pomegranate Press is a small UK local press based in Sussex, initially specialising in books about the Sussex area. Pomegranate has since expanded its listings to include other non-fiction and fiction titles. Pomegranate also offers a personal self-publishing service for authors. Pomegranate Press was founded by former newspaper journalist and BBC producer and presenter, David Arscott. He has worked as a freelance author, broadcaster, publisher and editor for many years and has written some thirty books on Sussex, for various publishers apart from Pomegranate Press. His published fiction includes two novels written with David Marl and published by Allen & Unwin and Celtic Cyprus. He is also the founder of The Sussex Book Club. David now specialises in taking other authors through the self-publishing process, bringing out their books under the Pomegranate Press imprint or alternatively using the author’s own imprint.

The mainstream publishers turn down perfectly good books which they don’t appreciate or which don’t fit comfortably into their portfolios. The answer is to go it alone – although not quite alone. The worst kind of ‘vanity publisher’ will charge you too much for very little. At Pomegranate Press David will work with you at every stage of the process to make your book the best it can be. The costs are clear and uncomplicated from the very beginning, and your work will get the care and attention it deserves. All the books on this website were self-published by individuals or organisations.

http://www.pomegranate-press.co.uk/selfpublish/index.html

While this remains a small operation, what appeals to me is the ability for an author considering self-publishing to approach Pomegranate Press and receive feedback and advise from a proven self-published author without the necessary commercial trappings of Vanity Presses. Pomegranate Press advise an initial email approach which should include an introduction and outline of the author’s’book project.

[David Arscott] will be happy to give you initial advice without any obligation at all.

Pomegranate Press provide what they describe as ‘a light and accurate’ edit to an author’s manuscript and will prepare the file by formatting and designing the book under the direct input of the author. Depending on the book subject matter, Pomegranate will decide if it will fit with their publishing imprints. If not, the author will have to purchase a minimum block of 10 ISBN’s from Nielsens, the UK ISBN agency. Though Pomegranate Press will advise on copyright, library registration, as with most author solution services, marketing and promotion is entirely in the hands of the author and Pomegranate’s fee does not cover this area.

Who is the Publisher? In some cases Pomegranate Press will be the publisher, registering the book under one of our ISBN numbers. If you wish, however, you can publish under your own imprint – and we may suggest this approach to you if your title doesn’t sit comfortably in the Pomegranate portfolio.

Pomegranate do not provide some of the services which larger UK author solution companies supply, however, they offer a very specific personal ‘hands on’ touch to aid and guide an author through the self-publishing process. They do hold a small amount of the author’s books for local sales to bookstores and for fulfillment of orders from wholesalers and direct customers through their on line bookstore. Our chief service is in responding to orders from the trade. Promotion is the most difficult part of publishing, and you will need to study the market and approach likely purchasers of your book. We can help you devise promotional material.

Pomegranate offers a 50% wholesale discount, but less discount for retail sales. Depending on what extent authors intend using Pomegranate to aid with the sales of their book – authors should ascertain the full breakdown of costs per unit before entering any agreement and commitment on book design and production. Pomegranate does not charge authors a mark up on the books they have printed. Books available to purchase on their own website range from £4.99 to £8.99 which is average for standard paperback editions.

Pomegranate charges two specific fees. One for the pre-print services and the other for the actual print run. The print run can be offset or Print-on-demand. We will seek a competitive quote from a printer and will add nothing to it, but you are of course free to find another printer if you wish. The norm is for Pomegranate Press to be paid on delivery of the job to the printer, although for longer term projects we may ask for payment in instalments. Printers usually invoice on delivery.

Pomegranate Press is an ideal publishing solution for author’s unfamiliar with the self-publishing avenue and would also be ideal for book clubs and associations considering a book project with localised appeal rather than large nation or international reach.