Interested in camping out with us? Dead Fox Publishing is home to some amazing stories by our own authors, but there are so many good tales out there and we kinda want to roll around in all of them. So, we've opened our forest to others.
Our consignment opportunity gives authors one more platform to reach new readers, and a team that will help promote them. We're especially interested in highlighting and boosting POC, neurodivergent, disabled, queer, and other marginalized voices.
WHAT WE PROVIDE:
- A searchable database focused intently on keywords, tropes, and content warnings so people can find exactly what they want to read.
- An author portal where you can see your sales in real-time and get clear reports and payouts.
- Advertising via social media, our newsletter, and Discord.
- Store-wide sales and bundles (authors can opt-out of these) to expand reach
- boosting authors/titles during relevant periods, e.g. queer authors and stories during Pride.
There is no fee to submit or to be listed in The Forest Market. While we do offer paid services (such as ISBN assignment, formatting, editing, etc.), these are completely separate and optional. What we get is a 15% consignment fee on net earnings for each sale. Chances are, you're likely to make significantly more than on other distribution sites!
Interested? Submit your books for consideration here!
F.A.Q.
Q: What files do I need to provide if I'm accepted?
A: We require an .epub for digital, and if you have a .pdf as well, that's handy for those who need them. (Some screen reading services for the seeing-impaired read better off of .pdfs.) For print, all files need to be in .pdf and formatted to BookVault's specifications, which we can provide.
Q: What are the submission requirements regarding quality?
A: Submitting doesn't mean automatic acceptance. We do screen all submissions for the following things: all books should be polished, well-edited, and well-formatted; No books using generative AI are permitted. .epub files should pass a basic check for errors such as this one; covers should be clean and appear professional (even if they're simple!); blurbs should be typo-free.
Q: What are the requirements regarding content?
A: Dead Fox Publishing is owned and operated by a group of queer, disabled, neurodivergent people. We can't read every book that's submitted from cover to cover, but our intentions are never to offer books that contain offensive material toward any marginalized group (POC, trans, queer, disabled, ND, etc.).
Q: What kind of books can I submit?
A: The Forest Market leans toward darker fiction, and any subgenre is welcome. This probably isn’t the best home for a light and fluffy contemporary romance. If in doubt, submit anyway! We’ll let you know if we don’t think it’s a good fit.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: If you’ve got your files and all you want is a listing? Nothing. Submitting for consideration is free, being listed is free. There are paid services that can be added on—such as purchasing a Dead Fox ISBN (which you would be free to use anywhere, not just here), or file prep.
Q: How much money do I get?
A: Forest authors set their own prices. (Within reason. Please don’t pitch us a $20 eBook.) When a book sells, the net profit will automatically be split by Shopify. You'll see all sales via your personal online portal in real time.
Q: What about sales/promotions?
A: Yes, DFP will occasionally run sales, especially for big events like Black Friday/Cyber Monday or around the holidays. We will also do targeted sales certain times of the year, such as books written by queer authors during Pride, or Black authors during Black History Month or Juneteenth. All sales, bundles, and promotions will be announced at least 30 days in advance, and authors are welcome to opt-out.
Q: Can I run my own sale on just my books?
A: Yes! We can help facilitate this by either marking down your books for a set period of time or providing you with coupon codes to hand out (such as for giveaways or events), special landing pages with links, etc. If you have an idea, let us know and we’ll see if we can accommodate. We ask for a $10 fee which covers our time in setting all this up.
Q: Will you promote my book?
A: YES. Our monthly newsletter will highlight not only Dead Fox Publishing’s new releases, but yours, too. We will do rotating title spotlights each month, as well as helping promote the books on Threads.
Q: What about print books?
A: Print books are on the horizon! We’re figuring out the best way to do this given that print files need to be set up for BookVault specs, the consignment rates have to account for print costs and shipping, and figuring out a fair cost for setup, which is a good deal more time-consuming than eBook.
Q: How is profit calculated? What does Net Earnings mean?
A: Net earnings is the dollar amount brought in after all fees have been accounted for. In this case, Shopify’s payment processing fees. This can vary a little depending on the payment method used.
Q: What if the quality of part of my book isn't up to The Forest Market's standards?
A: We want you here. If we notice something off with the quality of your editing, formatting, blurb, or cover, we're happy to provide (upon request) our notes of the above, as well as any advice on how to correct the issues on your own. If you need help: we aren't here to shove our own services in your face, but we're happy to offer them if asked, or to recommend some other excellent service providers.