I Worry About Newman Springs
I'm sad to say this but I do worry about the future of Newman Springs Publishing, LLC
I worked with Newman Springs to bring my first three books in The Ascension Legacy series to market. Sure, I had a few issues along the way but I found them to be fairly reliable and the end results were quality books, not counting the quality of my writing. Eventually, I did choose to pursue a more independent level of publishing after a series of changes by Newman Springs left me feeling that their services were no longer a match to my needs but I left feeling no ill will towards them or anything of that nature. They had always delivered what was promised but process and rising costs was just no longer inline with my expectations and needs. That's it.
However, I recently received a marketing email from them because despite no longer using their services I still want to see what they offer in case new services that might be of interest to me. But this latest marketing email from NSP raised my hackles a bit.
The email starts with this, "Have a book or manuscript you think could be a movie?"
Where have we seen offers like this before? And what did we find about those companies offering those services? I'm not sure what to make of NSP's newest offering.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not lumping Newman Springs Publishing, LLC in with my opinions of those others groups.
But this latest offering is somewhat concerning to me. I've not spoken with anyone at NSP about this offering or what the ultimate goal of the service is but seeing this email does make me wonder. Now, I'm not wondering what the service could do for me or my books but what is NSP's intent.
The email says that "Before offering this to our authors, we tested it out by producing several short films, one of which won awards at several independent film festivals." So is their intent to help people get Indie films made or the hope that these shorts will pique the interests of big studios? What's the likelihood of that happening? One can't help but wonder, right?
I hope this doesn't mean that I will start seeing and hearing nightmare stories about Newman Springs like I have about some of the other groups offering similar services. Even though I no longer use them to publish my books doesn't mean that I think they are bad or that I think they've turned to the dark side with this offering, only that after researching others that have offered similar services that I can't help but be concerned by the growing parallels.
For anyone reading this who has, or is, using NSP for this service, I would love to hear from you about your experiences and net results of their capabilities.
3 comments
Wyvonne, I don’t have a company that I would endorse for this venture. Honestly, I don’t see many groups having an interest in a screenplay based on my books unless I can generate sufficient sales to back it up. Most things I’ve seen in my research indicate that a self-published book, or a book published through a vanity publisher, has below average odds of success when it comes to getting a movie adaptation and that spending money on this endeavor takes money away that would be better suited to marketing and increasing books sales to naturally encourage interest in such a conversion later.
Hello Gary,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. I recently completed my crime fiction novel and submitted it to Newman Springs, and they responded in less than three days. While I’m considering self-publishing, which I understand is a viable option, I was surprised by the swift responses from Newman Springs, Dorrance, and Fulton. Their quick offers to work with me were unexpected, especially given the length of my manuscript (over 300 pages).
I’m confident in my novel and believe it has potential, but the speed of their responses feels a bit overwhelming. They’re offering to publish it in various formats including ebook, hardcover, softcover, and audiobook, which might seem impressive to some. However, I’m wondering if it’s too soon to fully embrace this opportunity.
I’d appreciate your thoughts on this.
Best,
Tommy Ricks
Hello Gary, thank you for taking the time to write your comments. I am reviewing their services and my ultimate goal is to have my novel adapted to a movie. So, your mention of the same piqued my interest. If adapting your book to a movie is also your interest, is there another company you would consider?