Writers: How do you want to be treated by a publisher?

My wife and I are in the early stages of forming a small traditional publishing company, and we really want to do this the right way.

We are ***not*** a hybrid press, and we are ***not*** a vanity press. We plan to operate as a traditional publisher from day one, meaning *authors will never pay us a dime*. We are already building relationships with local printers, freelance editors, and designers to support that.

Our whole goal is to treat authors with respect, transparency, and genuine care for their work. So, with that in mind, we want to hear directly from authors about what that actually looks like in practice.

A bit about our goals and plans:

* We plan to offer advances whenever we can afford them, and grow them as we grow * We plan to give the most generous royalty percentages we can sustainably offer. Right now, our early numbers point to something like \~25% minimum across all formats * We only want to retain the rights we will actually use. If we are not producing translations, audiobooks, or adaptations, then we do not want to lock authors out of those opportunities * We only want to hold rights long enough to actively publish and sell the book (something like 2-3 years) - after that, authors can either renew with us or take the rights back with no penalty * We will absolutely do developmental and line editing, but the author's vision always comes first - our job is to help shape and polish the book, not turn it into something else * We want each book to reach readers in a way that reflects the author's artistic goals, both in design and in the reading experience (with some publisher-specific design choices and marketable covers)

Now we would love your thoughts. If you are an author, editor, freelancer, bookseller, or anyone in publishing, here are some things we are curious about:

* What kind of communication makes you feel respected? Regular check-ins? Clear timelines? Easy access to your editor? Something else? * What contract practices feel fair and supportive? What rights clauses have made you uncomfortable in the past? * What do you realistically expect from a small press in terms of marketing? * What promises have you seen publishers make that felt unrealistic? * What makes editing a positive experience for you? * What feels like overstepping? * How often do you expect royalty payments? Quarterly? Twice a year? * What level of detail do you want in royalty statements? * What behaviors have made you trust or distrust a publisher? * What helps an author feel like they are being taken seriously? * What would make you want to stay with a publisher for multiple books? * What are the big warning signs that a publisher is not operating in good faith? * What kind of support or guidance do new authors need that publishers sometimes forget to provide? * What do you wish publishers understood about writing, timelines, or the emotional and financial realities of being an author?

We want to build something ethical and sustainable, and we would love to hear from people who have been through this process, especially if you’ve seen both the good and the bad sides of publishing. Your experiences would help us build a press that authors can actually feel good about working with.