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SUBMISSIONS

DonnaInk Publications is a small, woman-owned, "traditional" and "Indie" publishing house with thirty (30) plus eclectic authors and their collective works. Thus far, we have not broken the glass ceiling as newcomers in the publishing industry; this means, if you anticipate Random House level of support with exhaustive overhead to wield at will - submit to them. DonnaInk Publications provides author coaching, industry-standard royalties, one-on-one communication, quality layout and design, training, and many additional services generally not provided by major publishers.

 

As a traditional publisher, there is no fee to publish if your title is accepted, submission requirements follow:

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  1. Finished manuscript(s) or a timeline of completion we agree to,

  2. Marketing plan at submission or a marketing agenda we agree to,

  3. Quotas of fifteen (10) copies to be sold every month for the first twenty-four (24) months post-production,

  4. Adherence to the author social media platform,

  5. An executed non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and tax form completion,

  6. Original work,

  7. No second edition self-published title requests where the title did not sell more than 100 copies,

  8. Absolutely NO plagiarism - we now use varied industry tools that identify plagiarized manuscripts prior to producing any titles,

  9. Absolutely NO pre-production disclosure of development of titles:

    • No "What do you think of my cover design? What do you think of my first chapter? How do you feel about this editorial?," on social media or elsewhere,

  10. A list of Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) candidates at submission for consideration,

  11. A party identified at submission to provide the Foreword - where applicable,

  12. Monthly submission of event calendars with two paragraphs for potential press releases for each event author desires publicized (1-about the author and their title [relative to the event] and 2-about the event) - DonnaInk Publications will not necessarily produce "every" potential press release; however, to be considered for release - authors need to remit according to this clause,

  13. Authors are a consortium under DonnaInk Publications as part of a burgeoning enterprise and are expected to support one another in representation to the public and are not commissioned to contact other authors of represented works without prior written authorization from the publisher,

  14. The production calendar is 275 business days or less after submission of "all" elements related to the title - rewrites by authors of more than 15% of the title post-submission result in either a) fees or b) restart of the production calendar,

  15. No titles will jump production que unless the marketing strategy calls for special circumstances and promises more than 10K in initial sales - where this occurs - DonnaInk Publications will provide specialty production personnel who handle special projects,

  16. There is no promissory on sales count post-production and authors are expected to participate in the sales process by attending book signings, interviews, radio broadcasts, keeping copies available for reader purchase, etc.,

  17. All authors are required to maintain professional email and social media accounts and to adhere to professional mannerisms throughout term of agreement,

  18. All titles are under agreement for five (5) years - non-adherence to policies and terms of agreement may result in author termination; however, title(s) remain under representation pursuant to agreement timeline - additionally, early termination without cause may result in fees against royalties - this means post-production publisher jumping is a penalty.

  19. Titles may be partnered, reallocated and/or sold to "other" publishing houses with author permission through negotiation by the publishing,

  20. Re-editioning titles with new publishers requires a notation of DonnaInk Publications in the prior iteration in all front matter (this is an industry standard),

  21. Any/all authors vacate start-up of their own publishing initiative for three (3) years post-title agreement termination,

  22. Any/all issues over term of agreement are to be presented in writing for "cure," which is executed between sixty (60) and ninety (90) days post issue - basic troubled tickets are remedied within forty-eight (48) hours; however, significant issues require opportunity to "cure,"

  23. Early termination of agreement is a ninety (90) day process wherein "all" media relative to representation of a title is never lifted for past performance, expressly AMAZON does not remove prior publications even if they are archived - this is an AMAZON policy and many Internet retailers have the same policies,

  24. DonnaInk Publications cannot control AMAZON re-seller(s) through their platform,

  25. Authors are invited to participate in Publishing Enterprise platforms, forums, panels, discussion boards, etc. and may volunteer to administrate,

  26. At close of association - the publishing house does provide WordPress Blog files for author's follow-on use,

  27. If author has a preference for font, kerning, line spacing, etc. these are to be presented at submission for consideration - publisher makes final determination on all of the above.

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COPYRIGHT
DonnaInk Publications authors retain ownership of their copyright

  • We initially proffer title representation for the life of the title and negotiate from there; however, have a five-year agreement in place:

    • Each author negotiates severally

    • For lessor term agreements – titles produced often remain on our shelves post-agreement

    • All title representative agreements are for at least three-years post-production of the print edition of the title

    • If an audio version is in production, it is three-years of sales post-production for both print and audio, whichever is the most current media

 

  • If an author chooses to produce a second edition of the volume, post-agreement term, the sale of their title on DonnaInk Publications shelves continues pursuant to title representation agreement.

 

  • If a major publishing house offers to purchase a title representation agreement, the publishing house negotiates the terms of sale for both author and publisher signature.

 

  • A title representation agreement extension or termination is a matter of business

    • Title representation agreements at DonnaInk Publications are extended 85% of the time

    • Terminations are not negative and are often amicable and are a routine matter of business

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SUBMISSION BASICS
Traditional Title Representation Agreement

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We feature a Traditional Title Representation Agreement.

  • There is no cost associated with publishing with DonnaInk Publications

 

Completed Manuscript Submissions

  • All title submissions have to be "complete" prior to the start of the two-hundred seventy  (270) business day developmental calendar

    • This includes:

      • Permissions

      • Illustrations

      • Artwork

      • Rewrites, editorial development, ghostwriting

      • Tables

      • Bio

      • Synopsis

      • Front Matter

      • Back Matter

      • Pseudonym

      • Cover Design Questionnaire

      • Design and Layout Questionnaire

      • Author Photograph

      • Other

 

Developmental Editing / Ghostwriting

  • Titles requiring extensive rewrite, editorial development and/or ghostwriting are referred to a third-party service

    • Authors do not have to use our editorial development and/or ghostwriting referral company

  • Services of rewrite, editorial development and/or ghostwriting cost manpower, labor hours and money

    • The publishing house may sign a title, with the caveat the services are to be rendered

      • In these instances the title representative agreement begins at the third-party vendor if our referral is used . . . 

        • If our referral is not used, the title is resubmitted after third-party services are completed by a service of author's choice

      • After developmental editorials and/or ghostwriting / rewrites, DonnaInk Publications reviews the title for completion and if acceptable the one year wait list is calculated against the length of term in developmental editing and/or ghostwriting

        • All third-party services have to have been paid in full and receipted prior to representation by the publishing house

        • All third-party permissions have to be provided with "original" signatures to the publishing house records - originals can be returned; however, they have to be inspected and accepted

 

Taxation

  • A W9 or WEN-8 (foreign authors) has to be signed and executed through USPS with an original signature and photo identification proofs for the title representation agreement to be executed

 

Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA)

  • The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) has to be signed and executed through USPS with an original signature for the title representation agreement to be executed

  • The NDA is a legal document, which carries criminal penalties if not adhered to

 

Original Signatures

  • All pages of the title representation agreement have to be initialed and the signature an original

    • Initially a signed, scanned and faxed or emailed copy is acceptable

    • USPS hard copy has to be delivered within the initial fourteen (14) days of title representation agreement for the publishing house to move the title forward

    • If the USPS copy does not arrive, the title representation agreement is not nullified; instead, it is delayed by one year and the timeline restarts when the USPS copy is received

 

  • Any/all title representation agreements without W9's, WEN-8, NDA, and/or original signature waive royalty payments until remedied

 

  • For absent W9's and WEN-8, a 28% tax penalty results against all royalties

 

Each title's representative agreement is unique.

 

All title representation agreements are intellectual property / legal instruments; therefore, they remain confidential and proprietary.

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SUBMISSION STEPS
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​1.     OFFICIAL SUBMISSION

DonnaInk Publications accepts USPS and email queries

Do not send an entire manuscript with a query letter

  • Please include only the ​following:

    • Short Bio (who you are)

    • Mid-bones Synopsis (two page overview of story-line)

    • First 30 pages

    • Marketing Strategy (vision of title's future)

    • Prior Writing Credits

 

For email sent to:

contact@donnainkpublications.com

 

For USPS mail to:

DonnaInk Publications, L.L.C.

1390 Chain Bridge Road

Suite #10029

McLean, VA 22101

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We do not accept "group" submission queries

  • If you are submitting to fifty agents-publishers, please do not include us

    • The reason is, if one of the other 49 agents-publishers decide they like your work and we do as well, the process becomes cumbersome and potentially an issue

 

If we are interested, DonnaInk Publications, L.L.C. will respond with a company overview and standard manuscript submission request form

  • Once the form is received - complete it and scan then email, fax or mail to our attention

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2.     REVIEW AND NOTIFICATION

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There are no SIGNING OR HIDDEN COSTS with DonnaInk Publications

 

There are costs we no longer cover and these include -  updated 10/01/19 - write to contact@donnainkpublications.com for more information until this notation is lifted from our website - the following list is not inclusive:

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  • Apps

 

  • Book Cover Designs

    • DonnaInk Publications provides UP TO THREE cover design choices

      • Where the author requests original artwork, illustrations and/or photo layouts there are additional costs - we do provide a list of illustrators and artists who provide their services at reduced cost from retail - our illustrators and artists receive excellent reviews

        • The publishing house has final say in cover design

  • Travel

    • Event Registrations - we do not provide

    • Hotel Accommodations - we do not provide

 

  • Illustrations

    • We do provide a listing of reduced cost illustrators

      • An agreement is required to hire from the illustrator referral listings we feature

      • Escrow has to be established for illustrator payments from DonnaInk Publications referral listing

      • Escrow is released at draft, pre-final and final in equal disbursements

    • For authors who use independent illustrators:

      • The publishing house does not get involved in the agreement, terms, negotiation and costs for independents

        • All independent illustrator agreements and terms are solely between the author and the illustrator

          • Any percentages and post-production royalties or future permissions cannot negate terms and conditions of the title representation agreement

            • The publishing house is not bound by author to illustrator agreement

        • Merchandising and rights are not provided to illustrators unless they are from DonnaInk Publications illustrator registry

          • Artistic renderings of illustrators often are myopic and "not exact" replicas to authors' mock-ups - where this occurs the publishing house is not liable

  • QR Plus

    • DonnaInk Publications recommends QRPlus for all print titles

      • The publishing house does not pay for QR Plus

        • Authors need to remit a request for QR Plus with fee during execution of agreement

 

  • Specialty Projects

 

  • Widgets​

    • DonnaInk Publications recommends widgets for all print titles

      • The publishing house does not pay for widgets

        • Authors need to remit a request for widgets with fee during execution of agreement

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3.    ORDERING BOOKS

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DonnaInk Publications provides three print copies of the represented title to the author post-print production.

 

  • Authors can purchase copies of their printed titles from the publishing house

 

  • The standard industry rate is $1.00 +.01 per page subtracted from the full title cost (retail, not discounted or sale costs)

    • The retail cost of the title is the agreed upon rate between publisher and author for initial title release

      • Retail cost may fluctuate over time; therefore, for authors' book orders, the initial agreed upon rate serves as the fixed rate for figuring book order cost

 

  • The publishing house features incentives for book purchases to authors who sell their titles - there is a sales quota of five titles per month the initial eighteen (18) months post-production of all audio, CD, digital and print media post-agreement. DonnaInk Publications accepts title representations for authors who intend to sell their books. Where an author is only interested in producing a book for private use and no royalties special arrangements have to be requested in writing.

 

  • Author purchase discounts are as follows:

    • Authors who sell ten titles a month receive a 40% discount from retail cost

    • Authors who sell twenty titles a month receive a 45% discount from retail cost

    • Authors who sell thirty titles a month receive a 50% discount from retail cost

    • Authors who sell forty titles a month receive a 55% discount from retail cost

    • Authors who sell fifty titles a month receive a 60% discount from retail cost

      • To qualify for incentives - sales must be month-to-month at the quota for a three-month term

        • For authors who sell more than fifty titles a month - additional incentives are featured

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