# Experience with Calumet Editions?



## InstituteMan

Hey, all, a buddy of mine is getting ready to sign up with Calumet Editions. He has to pay them for a service, which worries me, but they also seem (based on what he tells me and a very brief search on my phone) more legit than a typical vanity press.

Normally I would scrounge the interwebs and get the details, but I am limited in my internet access to my mobile phone for the rest of today at least, and I am too old to type on this screen and then read sufficiently to know what kind of outfit my pal is joining up with. Does anyone know about Calumet? Thanks!


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## krishan

Is this - http://www.calumeteditions.com/ - the Calumet Editions that your friend is planning to work with?

It's worth noting that their site is poorly-designed, as are the covers of their books. There is also no way to buy any of their books from their website. They have very little information about themselves available, and don't appear to be up-front about charging authors to publish with them.


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## Seedy M.

If any "publisher" wants money up front, run the other way. The author is paid for his work, not the other way around.
Calumet is, if I read it correctly, a publisher of ebooks. There are several sites that publish ebook free and you get royalties. Smashwords is the best-known of those. For print, Lulu. Doesn't cost anything and you get royalties.
A publisher or agent that wants money up front is generally a scam. You pay them a thousand dollars or so, they use the same process as the free sites, you get burned, they get rich.
I am not saying this is true of Calumet. I am only saying it would seem that way to me from that miserable excuse for a website. My nine year old niece has a more professional-looking site than that.


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## InstituteMan

krishan said:


> Is this - http://www.calumeteditions.com/ - the Calumet Editions that your friend is planning to work with?
> 
> It's worth noting that their site is poorly-designed, as are the covers of their books. There is also no way to buy any of their books from their website. They have very little information about themselves available, and don't appear to be up-front about charging authors to publish with them.



I fear that's the one. 

I have poked around a bit more since I posted the question, and my uninformed conclusion is that Calumet isn't a scam, in the sense that I think these folks aren't just trying to get rich by tricking authors into handing over their hard earned money for a bunch of vapid promises. I think they sincerely believe they are going to be some sort of an authors' consortium that will help talented writers left out in the cold by the traditional publishing industry find their niche. While their website (among other things) has lead me to doubt their abilities, I think they do mean well.


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## maxxum

Hi, Im Gary Lindberg, founder of Calumet Editions. I was referred here by one of our authors who noticed that questions were being asked about our company. I think people may have been looking at the temporary old website from last year. Please check out the new website. You can indeed buy books from the website. But be aware that the website is not our principle method of selling books. 

We currently have bestselling authors (even New York Times bestselling author) on our list now, as well as award-winning authors (not "Indie" awards, but traditional awards. We are not aimed at the usual self-pubbed Indie author, but at "serious" authors who are determined to bild a career as writers of fiction and non-fiction. We have a unique business model that we do not publicize; sometimes it involves a shared investment between the author and Calumet, but not always. We offer author services, but only for books that we accept through a submission process. We share publishing risk and rewards with authors. 

I appreciate the discussion about whether we are a scam. The numerous publishing scams are one reason we started Calumet. We are actually the opposite of a scam; our mission is to help serious authors avoid the multiple scams out there in the market and advance their authorial careers. If anyone has questions about our new publishing model, please go directly to the source (me) and ask. We can engage in a Q&A offline.


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## Linton Robinson

Well, you list no phone number.  Red flag. You don't respond to emails.
I have been trying to contact you to GIVE FREE PROMOTION TO ONE OF YOUR BOOKS, a joint blast of similar themed books including some by much-better-known authors.
You don't do me the courtesy of replying.  So can we engage in a Q&A about that?



maxxum said:


> Hi, Im Gary Lindberg, founder of Calumet Editions. I was referred here by one of our authors who noticed that questions were being asked about our company. I think people may have been looking at the temporary old website from last year. Please check out the new website. You can indeed buy books from the website. But be aware that the website is not our principle method of selling books.
> 
> We currently have bestselling authors (even New York Times bestselling author) on our list now, as well as award-winning authors (not "Indie" awards, but traditional awards. We are not aimed at the usual self-pubbed Indie author, but at "serious" authors who are determined to bild a career as writers of fiction and non-fiction. We have a unique business model that we do not publicize; sometimes it involves a shared investment between the author and Calumet, but not always. We offer author services, but only for books that we accept through a submission process. We share publishing risk and rewards with authors.
> 
> I appreciate the discussion about whether we are a scam. The numerous publishing scams are one reason we started Calumet. We are actually the opposite of a scam; our mission is to help serious authors avoid the multiple scams out there in the market and advance their authorial careers. If anyone has questions about our new publishing model, please go directly to the source (me) and ask. We can engage in a Q&A offline.


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## ConnieTime

As someone put it from *Absolute Write*: "Calumet sounds very much like a vanity press masquerading beneath the usual veneer of A New And Better Publishing Model. One of the two founders (Ian Leask-self-proclaimed editor) is the typical author-who-couldn't-get-published-and-decided-to-start-his-own-company. 

The nuts and bolts are contained in the section labeled "Agents," which contains laughable nuggets like this: "As the old established methods of introducing new authors to the public break down and there is less money and opportunity in the publishing world, Calumet Editions has developed a method we call New Wave Publishing, wherein we contract partnerships with authors and help develop them as name brands in order to sell more books. This is not traditional publishing and neither is it self-publishing."

Who are we kidding here? The difference between self-publishing and Calumet is that Calumet takes a big chunk of you just so you can technically claim you didn't self publish. This is nothing but another vanity press in disguise.

It's not a scam in the sense they are hiding anything. They just come right out and tell you how they're going to make you pay through the nose to publish with them.


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## who me?

InstituteMan said:


> Hey, all, a buddy of mine is getting ready to sign up with Calumet Editions. He has to pay them for a service, which worries me, but they also seem (based on what he tells me and a very brief search on my phone) more legit than a typical vanity press.
> 
> Normally I would scrounge the interwebs and get the details, but I am limited in my internet access to my mobile phone for the rest of today at least, and I am too old to type on this screen and then read sufficiently to know what kind of outfit my pal is joining up with. Does anyone know about Calumet? Thanks!


=================

they ARE  a vanity press

nothing to be with legit although some must be breaking the law as they get sued so much.

it has to do to how badly do you get taken
and how bad is the quality you get

he can self publish for free

useless covers, marketing, promotion, post cards, yada yada are totally wasted money

hire a good editor.  most vanity presses editors are bad.



krishan said:


> Is this - http://www.calumeteditions.com/ - the Calumet Editions that your friend is planning to work with?
> 
> It's worth noting that their site is poorly-designed, as are the covers of their books. There is also no way to buy any of their books from their website. They have very little information about themselves available, and don't appear to be up-front about charging authors to publish with them.


=================

unless they are newly reborn with the same name  this is an old line vanity press

you can self publish for free
never use a vanity press



InstituteMan said:


> I fear that's the one.
> 
> I have poked around a bit more since I posted the question, and my uninformed conclusion is that Calumet isn't a scam, in the sense that I think these folks aren't just trying to get rich by tricking authors into handing over their hard earned money for a bunch of vapid promises. I think they sincerely believe they are going to be some sort of an authors' consortium that will help talented writers left out in the cold by the traditional publishing industry find their niche. While their website (among other things) has lead me to doubt their abilities, I think they do mean well.


==================

and i got a bridge to sell you in the desert



maxxum said:


> Hi, Im Gary Lindberg, founder of Calumet Editions. I was referred here by one of our authors who noticed that questions were being asked about our company. I think people may have been looking at the temporary old website from last year. Please check out the new website. You can indeed buy books from the website. But be aware that the website is not our principle method of selling books.
> 
> We currently have bestselling authors (even New York Times bestselling author) on our list now, as well as award-winning authors (not "Indie" awards, but traditional awards. We are not aimed at the usual self-pubbed Indie author, but at "serious" authors who are determined to bild a career as writers of fiction and non-fiction. We have a unique business model that we do not publicize; sometimes it involves a shared investment between the author and Calumet, but not always. We offer author services, but only for books that we accept through a submission process. We share publishing risk and rewards with authors.
> 
> I appreciate the discussion about whether we are a scam. The numerous publishing scams are one reason we started Calumet. We are actually the opposite of a scam; our mission is to help serious authors avoid the multiple scams out there in the market and advance their authorial careers. If anyone has questions about our new publishing model, please go directly to the source (me) and ask. We can engage in a Q&A offline.


==================

Gary,

If the author pays you then you are a vanity press.
You may not be the worst but you are still a vanity press.

If you pay the author then you are a traditional press.
Your web site implies that the author pays all y'all a lot of money.

THE publisher is the owner of the ISBN. 
If you are giving the author the ISBN you are the publisher the author is not self publishing.

We can self publish for FREE.  Why should anybody pay any vanity press at all?

When we self publish ourselves we can hire a good editor from all the ones available.
Why should anyone pay a vanity press for poor editing.

If we are smart enough to write a book we are smart enough to dl a cover template and do our own covers.
Why should anybody pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for a cover ??

If we do not want to format our book we can choose the best service from all of them and get a low price. 
Why should anybody pay a vanity press to format a book.

Now you claim to be in business since 2012.  I recall a Calumet press from 20-30 years ago or longer.
Is that a coincidence?   That one was a known vanity press. 

Your web page says 'invest' $5K to $20K.   ROTFLMFAOPIMP.
Any author who dumps that much money to self publish is truly a fool.

Now if you are truly ethical and honest give us the profits for each book you have published.
Tell us how many authors lost money.  And how much.

If you are on the cusp and are a co-publisher or subsidy press and not a true vanity press then tell us why the 'investment' is so high.

Tell us how you compare to bookbaby.com  and booklocker.com as well as kindle and createspace and why you are worth to much more money.

You may be the greatest thing since sliced bread but until I see proof I will remain skeptical.


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## ConnieTime

*More on Calumet and Founder Ian Leask*



who me? said:


> =================
> 
> they ARE  a vanity press
> 
> nothing to be with legit although some must be breaking the law as they get sued so much.



The truly laughable part of their pitch is to agents. Click their "Agent" page and read it. They *actually* believe that a genuine agent will pay them to publish one of their clients. It's just plain foolish. Absolute Write went nutso HUH? over that.

Another issue is founder Ian Leask who is a self-proclaimed literary consultant and editor. He charges enormous fees of $4000 and up for a single manuscript, and yet, when you examine his credentials closely, it's a bunch of weasel wording. You can't pin him down to one single thing that qualifies him to edit commercial or literary manuscripts except that he's done it before.  :nonchalance:


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