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Frequently asked

QUESTIONS

  • Are you interested in my novel (poetry, short story, non-fiction), etc.?
    If you’d like us to consider your work, please visit our submissions portal. We can’t provide feedback any other way. Thank you.
  • Why Propertius?
    Sextus Propertius was a Latin elegiac poet of the Augustan age. He was born in Assisi, a part of modern Italy, around 50–45 BC and died shortly after 15 BC. Propertius' surviving work comprises four books of Elegies. Like many such poets, Propertius' work is dominated by the figure of a single woman, the muse he refers to throughout his poetry by the pseudonym Cynthia. When we began the Press, we wanted a beautiful logo that evoked the natural and scientific world and also to express love of philosophy, as in, "the love of books." We were committed to do this somehow by the name, or in something that could be drawn to the name. The poet Propertius' work is almost exclusively about love. In addition, the eponymous Propertius moth is a beautiful creature that we were able to incorporate with our goals.
  • Where can I find your books? Can my local bookstore get them?
    All of our books are available in our bookstore, at www.visitourbookstore.com, as well as wherever books are sold. We distribute through Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Overdrive, and Smashwords, so both paper and digital versions of the books are available at nearly all retail and online outlets. We are very happy to deal with your local bookstore, who can order the books through Ingram, or directly from us. Email merchant at propertiuspress dot com for wholesale information.
  • What is your cookie policy? What kind of information do you collect and how do you use it?
    To be honest, we are not techies and are too busy to deal with this kind of thing overmuch. We're publishers. We literally never look at the website analytics or any of that and don't foresee doing it anytime soon. The only information we will ever see is if you place an order, we will obtain your name, mailing address, and phone number if you decide to add it. We never see your payment information; it is collected by the third party payment system (PayPal, Square, or Stripe) and we don't need to see it. The only emails you should receive from us if you place an order will concern that order. With our thanks. That's it. If you would like to be placed on our mailing list, check the box when you are asked. You can also voluntarily add yourself. If you don't, we will never send you unsolicited email. We are putting together a process to send out occasional newsletters, so when that happens, if you checked the box, you'll get one. We appreciate you and the time you spend with us on the site. Thank you so much. Further questions? Email us at info@propertiuspress.com.
  • How long does it take to publish my book?
    Most books take about 12 to 18 months to properly edit, format, and do layout, design, and the cover. In addition, distribution requirements can very widely, and will affect the time it takes to get your book to the shelves of online retailers. Estimates of timelines can be substantially longer depending on the amount of edits or the complexity of the work. We try to give reasonable estimates at the time we negotiate your publishing contract, and you are encouraged to ensure your manuscript is as complete and well-edited as possible, in order to get the best outcome, time-wise.
  • How do copyrights work? Do you keep the copyright to an author's book?
    The author keeps the copyright to their own work. We copyright the format, graphics, and any additional items such as design and cover art that we produce for the book. Since the author keeps the copyright, there is nothing to revert once the book is out of print. All of our contracts run on a 3 to 5 year basis, depending on various factors. Prior to the ending of a contract, we will contact an author and discuss renewing for an additional period, or in some cases we will opt not to renew. Either way, we respect the author's time and commitment throughout the life of our relationship. Writers matter. We appreciate the opportunity to work on each and every manuscript, and the terms of our contracts reflect this.
  • Do you do all the work in-house, or do you contract for graphics, editing, etc.?"
    We do contract with reputable professionals for editing and graphics, but we also do a lot of this in-house. We always look for the best person to work on any particular book, and if this means going the extra mile, we definitely do so.
  • Do you charge your authors any fees for publishing or for editorial work?
    No fees. We are a traditional, not-for-profit publisher.
  • Do you consider works of poetry (fiction, mystery, biography, children’s literature), etc.? I do not see this category in your list at Submittable.
    We consider many, many types of writing, including all of the above and more. However, if you do not see the category, it is probably closed due to the maximum number of submissions we can review within a reasonable period of time being met. When we have worked through the current submissions, we will open the category again for a certain number (between 50 and 200, depending). In addition, we have special categories that open for certain times of year (For example, April is National Poetry Month, so we accept certain types of poetry submissions during April regardless of the number of other submissions). As always, the best way to stay current on what we are accepting is to check back frequently at the Submittable portal, and follow us on Social Media.
  • Is there a minimum or maximum finished page requirement for any of your submissions categories?
    No. However, do read each submission category’s form information very carefully, and follow the guidelines for each section.
  • How should I format my manuscript?
    We prefer William Shunn’s excellent guide to formatting manuscript submissions: https://www.shunn.net/format/ Also, please read this page carefully before submitting: https://propertiuspress.submittable.com/submit You should also read each submission category's form information very carefully before submitting, and ensure that your manuscript adheres to its requirements.
  • Do you publish manuscripts from outside the United States?
    Submissions, and our authors, are from all over the world. Yes indeed.
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