March 2010 Publisher Spotlight - Samhain Publishing

Good afternoon, messires and maddams! (Ok, so I didn't take French as a foreign language.) Today, I am spotlighting a publisher I've recently ran across and gathered information on.

Samhain Publishing

Samhain—the Celtic New Year—signifies a new beginning, a rebirth.

Pronounced sah-vin by the Scots, sow-in (sow like cow) by the Irish and sam-hine in English, Samhain is the Irish word for November. And November 2005 saw the launch of Samhain Publishing, Ltd., founded with a goal of bringing to compulsive readers books that allow them to discover new worlds and be taken on adventures through the creative minds of today’s brightest authors.

Primarily an ebook publisher, Samhain has also segued into print books (anything over 60,000 automatically becomes a print and ebook). So, concerning cornering a large market, Samhain caters to both e-reader and traditional reader alike.

Now, from a writer's POV, Samhain offers many great guidelines as a publisher.

Firstly, is how highly recommended Samhain is by several well-known and established writer resource sites. Two of these sites include Preditorsandeditors.com and absolutewriterwatercooler.com.

Is Samhain right for me, however?

This is the largest question looming over writers' heads when they consider submitting for publication. And, then there's the lengthy process of trying to gather enough information to make certain this publisher is one you like...and one whom will like you. Here, I've complied a list of several items Samhain Publishing offers that, I think, will entice most wirters.

1) Payment - How does Samhain Publishing pay their authors?

From all the research I've done, it appears that Samhain pays their authors in both royalties and with 10 author's copies of their novel/la.

2) Submissions - How long do I have to wait to hear from Samhain? And, can I submit to other publishers at the same time to increase my odds?

While this publisher does ask for a 12-16 week response time to inqueries, they are open to simultaneous submissions (meaning - you are free to send to multiple publishers/agents while also sending to Samhain). The only item they request is that you notify the editors your manuscript is being considered as a simultaneous submission.

3) Recognition - Is Samhain Publishing recognized by any national literary organizations?

Yes, indeedy. Samhain Publishing is an RWA (Romance Writers of America) recognized publisher. Not sure if this is a big deal or not? RWA guidelines only recognize non-subsidy, non-vanity publishers; the publisher must release books via a national distribution campaign; and, the publisher must have sold (in one year) more than 1500 hardback/paperback copies or 5000 copies of any other format.

4) Genres - What genres/categories does Samhain accept?

This publisher, while primarily a romance/erotica publisher, has began to diverge into a large scale of titles, including science fiction and fantasy, romance and erotica, horror, paranormal fantasy, historicals, urban fantasy, mysteries and thrilles, and a ton of more genres. (Please, check publisher's submission page to see what titles they are currently accepting, if any.)

All of this builds up to a pretty reliable, large-small to medium sized publisher. But what was most important to me (as a writer and the one bringing this information to my friends and readers) was how genuinely happy Samhain's authors are with the press. Authors have made comments on many blogs regarding the helpfulness of their rejection letters, the artistry of the cover art, and the helpfulness of the staff and editors at Samhain.

To me, as a writer, this all stacks up to be a decent publisher. However, I understand that my research is not imperfect and my opinion not absolute (unless you're my husband reading this and then my opinion is absolute! LOL). If you have anything to add regarding this publisher, or you plain need any other information I may have collected during my research then, by all means, leave me a comment or drop me an email at bbwalter@bbwalter.com .

I'd also love to hear any feedback concerning other publishing houses you've found to be interesting (either good or bad). The more information we can put out there for writers to find, the better! Thanks, and I'll chat atcha soon.

BB Walter

Guilt and Debrox Drops

Hello again all. Today, I have a life experience to share with you all. It envolves Debrox ear drops.



My nephew had some serious ear wax built up when we took him in to see his pediatrician the other day. He recommended we take the child to see an Ear Nose and Throat specialist but, in the mean time, to flush his ears using the Debrox drops. My sister asked after the hole in his ear, and the doctor (based on his thirty-some odd- years experience with the product) said that he should be fine.



WRONG! Less than thirty seconds after administering the drops, my nephew was shrieking in pain. He hurt enough for his face to turn beat red and he collapsed on my sister's lap. Poor little guy! We all felt so bad (my sister, myself, and my niece). But I had tried the drops (had to show a worried little guy that they didn't hurt you, you know) and had no problems - actually, they worked great for me.



He screamed for over an hour while the drops drained out (along with the wax, btw - so it did work) and even had some pinkish discharge, quite possibly blood, along with it. However, after speaking with the doctor (who was confounded since he'd never had any problems with any patients using these drops over the years) said to keep a close eye on him. If his condition worsened or did not lessen within an hour, we should take him to the E.R. immediately. Fortunately, he seems to have calmed but is still complaining of pain and is in and out of sleep.



So, while these drops did work (my ears are clean, and the one ear we used them on for him is also clean now, despite his pain), I'm just posting on here for my friends (and blog followers, if any) that if you have ANY inner ear deformities or abnormalities/anomalies - DO NOT USE Debrox drops for ear wax issues. Now, if you don't have these problems, use away :)



[CR: The Realtor Murders by David A. Kaufelt; Cell by Stephen King; City of Bones by Cassandra Clare; and Contemporary Fiction - 50 Short Stories Since 1970 by assorted authors. TBRN: Her Majesty's Wizard by Christopher Stasheff and The Burning Land by Victoria Strauss]