I'm excited to turn the blog over to Michele Jensen today. She has very cool news! Welcome, Michele!
Cate, thanks for allowing me to promote my newly created e-publishing houses today!
“What are the names of your e-publishers?”
I started by opening Twenty Or Less Press, which is devoted to short stories across all fiction genres. Named Twenty or Less because the stories offered are 5,000 words, which is approximately 20 pages, or less. After careful consideration, I decided to create a sister site, Sybarite Press, for erotic and sensual short stories.
“Why did I start my own e-publishing house?”
As a reader of many genres and a lover of anthologies, I believe it is difficult to find quality short stories. Having a publisher solely dedicated to delivering the best short stories makes the search as easy as one website away.
I also know many authors of short stories who have received rejections along the lines of “Great story, but not quite what we’re looking for.” Not only that, but I’ve noticed the minimum length requirements for many publishers keeps increasing. I adamantly believe a story should not have to be padded to sell. If it’s great at 5,000 words then why should an author have to add another 5,000 words just to be able to place it?
As a business person, I have to say with the explosive growth of the e-book industry, starting an e-press seemed like the logical solution.
“What am I looking for in a submission?”
Stories have to have a beginning, middle and end. They have to be well-written, and they have to be interesting and original. Other than that, I’m open.
Sybarite Press does have three story lines: Sins of Sybaris, Sybaris Nights, and Sybaris Seductions. I created the lines to help get the creative juices of authors flowing.
“What do you offer authors?”
As a fledgling press, I can only offer royalties. However, the author also gets publishing credentials, a book cover and exposure.
In the future, I’d like to be able to offer a small advance to authors, but I have to wait and see how sales go.
“What do you offer readers?”
The immediate goal is to have two new stories available every other week. The long-term goal is to have new stories across a variety of fictional subgenres releasing daily. However, I am dedicated to delivering only the best short stories. I’m not going to publish an unpolished or poorly written story just to meet those goals.
For more information, visit
Thanks again, Cate!
Anytime, Michele! I may be sending you some stories myself. :) I wish you the best of luck in these exciting new ventures!
