OccultForum.org

Hello everyone,
I am the Owner of Nephilim Publications.
Nephilim Publications is a new Occult Book Publisher and we are currently accepting submissions in all occult subjects with an emphasis on new original material.
This is not an advertisement for self publishing services. We are a trade imprint and do not require an investment by the author into publication of the author's work. If your work is found to be acceptable for publication by our company we will respond with a formal offer and a publishing contract.
Before submitting your manuscript for review please read the submission guidelines. We accept only e-mailed submissions and we will respond within 6-8 weeks.
Submission Guidelines

1. Submissions may be in the form of a completed manuscript or sample chapters that clearly define the scope of the work. Artwork samples should also be included.

2. Also submit a brief description of what makes this book unique. What new information does it contain that other similar tittles do not.
3. Include a brief biography of your experience and specific areas of study
4. Constructive criticism is part of the process. Your initial submission can be considered a rough draft so be prepared to receive advice on how to improve your book.

Please e-mail submissions to: fredd3039@comcast.net and place the word Submission in the subject area.

Very interesting. Good luck with you publishing house.

Artwork samples should also be included.

Do this mean that authors have to be able to produce all artwork for their book them self?

Thankyou,

and no, the author does not have to be an artist. If there is artwork submitted it either has to be the property of the author or the author must have permission to use the artwork. This is usually done in a contract between the author and the artist that provided the artwork. I am in the process of negotiating with some artists to do commissions for certain works. For example, the author has a particular image he is trying to convey accurately but he has no artistic ability. I can put him in contact with an artist and they can work on the project together.

Frank

This post is in response to a post on another site so I thought I would post it here to explain because I am sure some people here are having the same thoughts. It was suggested that my posting was an attempt to scam people out of their work. It was deemed a fraudulent company because there was no address listed and no website listed. The following was my response:
Interesting Idea creating a fake e-mail. For 99 cents I can buy a domain name and create an email address and a flashy web page and then you would feel like it is legitemate? Ok. I gave my personal e-mail address but there is no company address listed because it is my home address. I do not own a large office. If someone has questions they can e-mail them to me directly at my personal e-mail account.
As far as theft of intellectual property here is the best method of protection. Print, sign, and date a hard copy of your manuscript. Place it in an envelope. Seal the envelope. Take said envelope to the post office and mail it to yourself via registered mail. Sign for the envelope and do not open it ever. Put it in a safe place where you can find it in the future. If someone steals your work and copyrights it you can definately sue them and the envelope opened in front of the judge and jury that is dated and registered by the post office will prove that it is indeed your work. Unless of course someone copyrights the work before you mail yourself a copy. This is the process used by inventors also to prove their ownership of a patent idea.
Hope this clears up the, this guy is a thief sort of thinking.

Many small publishing houses start out being run just from an individual's home. I can understand the concern, in every book about starting a business it says, get a home page and so on. But not every serious company has this. My mother have her own small company, she is a alternative healer, and her company have no home page and is listed with her home phone number and her mail address. Not all serious companies need to have flashy Internet stuff.

I really hope you company kicks off. I love to read occult books from small publishers who cares more about the content than the big bucks. It also gives more opportunity for us all if we feel like writing something and try to get it published one day if there are such publishing houses out there. Personally I writing something but it is more new age and in Norwegian so your publishing house is not much use for me yet, but I hope to see some interesting titles from you. Please let this forum know when you publish something.

Hell, it's tempting... but then there's all sorts of questions publishing a book raises, from "Who is this going to offend?" (moral), to "Who's going to read this the wrong way and get in trouble?" (moral), to "What's the split of the royalties, chummer?" (financial)

But it *is* tempting, even if it's also a big step, and possibly not the one for me (writing *coherently* on magic, psi, occult phenomena, etc for more than a paragraph or three is a big trouble, I find.)

Here is yet another respone to a banned status for spamming at another site. Hope this also clears up some questions.
My name is Frank Redd and I am starting a publishing company. A small one. Maybe 2 to 3 tittles a year depending on what type of respone I get. As it stands right now I have submitted a domain name for registration and the web site is being designed. I currently have no author submissions as this is the first week that I have announced the startup. I am looking for the author of the first book I will publish. This is new to me and short of spending thousands of dollars in advertisements just to get authors I am checking with the forums.
There is a current trend among major publishing companies to try and get away from occult tittles. Not because they are offensive or a niche market, but because there is really no new information comming out. Most large publishers get Crowley bibliographies, elizabethen demonology, golden dawn, etc... They are turning them away. I am looking for fresh ideas and concepts from new writers. I am not asking the writer to pay a dime. I am not asking the writer to self publish and use me as a printing press service. I don't have a press, I don't have a bindery.
What I do have is a passion for knowledge and a passion for beauty. There are so many times that i read articles and discussions on forums just like this and I said to myself man I wish this guy, or girl, had a book out that I could buy because I like their ideas and wish to know more. Bingo. Some of you might have ideas or even a finished manuscript. Some of you may have submitted to a publisher and been rejected already. The point is Occult Forums are the best place I could think of to scout talent.
Soon there will be a website online that will go over all of this information in greater detail as well as what I hope to do as far as design, marketing, and bindings. I will give you a peek at what I am talking about. I would like to publish every book from my company in hard back on archival quality paper. I want to produce books that will one day become the standard for any serious practitioner and will also be heriloom quality. I want to produce works ofknowledge that are also beatuful works of art.
So in closing I would like to add if you have a manuscript or and idea for a manuscript please e-mail me and we can talk about it. I am always available to answer all ofyour questions either on this forum or at my email address fredd3039@comcast.net.
Sincerely
Frank Redd
Owner Nephilim Press

Interesting, Frank, but didn't answer any of my questions, which is possibly a reason you're getting "spam canned" I've not seen the other forums, or why it was banned, but answering forum questions tends to help your case of "I'm not a spambot."

Hell, it's tempting... but then there's all sorts of questions publishing a book raises, from "Who is this going to offend?" (moral), to "Who's going to read this the wrong way and get in trouble?" (moral), to "What's the split of the royalties, chummer?" (financial)

I had to write e-mails to the administrators they lifted the bans. Now to answer your questions. Anything can offend anyone at any time. Playboy magazine is offensive to some people, the bible is offensive to athiests. The beauty of any free trade system is people have the right to buy something or not buy it. Information is not forced down anyones throat. As far as someone reading controvesial material I would suggest people better monitor their children, burn their library cards, and most importantly of all cancel their internet connections. Come to think of it better home school the kids. If something offends someone they should not buy it and if someone is afraid of offending people with their work they shouldn't publish it.

As far as using it the wrong way after reading it. Once agin this is left up to an individual. I am not responsible for what a person does after reading a book no more than the author and publisher of Catcher in the Rye were when Mark David Chapman said it was his inspiration for shooting John Lennon.

Last but not least is split of the royalties. this is a subject that will only be discussed with an author whos work I have decided to publish. It is confidential knowledge between parties taht have entered into an exclusive contract with each other.
If you have an idea or a manuscript lets talk
Frank

fair enough, all answers. Like I said, it's tempting, and I'll think about it.

If you know anye on here or anywhere for that matter that might be interested please pass on the word. As far as thinking about it do you have an Idea? Lets talk. There is no hurt in discussion.
Frank

Well, at the moment, I'm just starting out in seriously researching psychic abilities, and am beginning to collect data. There are many problems with paranormal research in general, and it might be helpful to write a book detailing these problems, while also showing how current research is trying to improve itself or not in this area. Just a thought, and still in the research/data-collection phase, but still, there's the proposal, summed up right there. Privacy of individuals will be protected as far as possible (I've already said this to my first research subject/assistant today), but as much information as possible will be gathered.

Please keep me informed of your project. I like it. It is definately a new angle as far as listing the problems with quantifying research data. With all of the ghost hunters hype these days people are beginning to get interested in the paranormal again.
Frank

True, true. Anyway, I've just discovered another researcher has been working on fixing one of the problems I see in psychic research (a lack of comprehensive common terminology), and have requested his article on the subject. We'll see how both that and my research subject's data goes, along with any others who volunteer.

I doubt that there will ever be a universally accepted terminology in psychic research or any other occult field for that matter. Us okkultists have never been known to agree with one another very much.

Yeah, this is one of the biggest problems. But if a scientist can categorise it, and scientists accept the categorisation, we can get somewhere. Anyways, sometimes, V, it's a bigger problem than that... for example, this resolution mainly came from a very acrimonious argument I had viz spirit guides, where I tried the evidence based approach (I've been actively researching qualatitively for 10 years, seen lots of Shades, only 3 spirit guides, ergo not everyone has spirit guides), and then the person on the other side defined a tulpa as a spirit guide! When I showed said lady the definitions from wiki, she said "get a new book"... And then things got hairy...

What if there is to categories science can find? What if there is not one truth which can be quantified and measured?

And there we have a disagreement already there. I think everyone has Spirit guides of some sort. I think that is part of our Spiritual make up so to speak, symbiosis with Spirits which guide us through life. I think it would be very hard to get occultists to accept one true way of things, as I do not think there exists a one true way. You can not expect pepole to just accept your definitions and opinions on how things work as the only truth because you put it in a wiki. For example what a Spirit guide is, there must be thousands of different definitions of that.

Now I tend to think that diversity of belief is a strength and not a weakness of the occult.

I agree.I think that the nature of truth itself changes constantly.What was true for our ancestors a hundred years ago would be preposterous today, the world has changed and moved on. However there are I believe certain immutable truths which underpin the Cosmos, whether they be natural laws like gravity or spiritual laws such as karma. Personally I have my doubts about the validity of the law of three-fold return, but it is always best to act as if it were a fact and act accordingly.
I dont think that the laws of magick change, but the way we apply them does.Am I right in thinking that what you are talking about is the idea of standardizing magical thought, practice or theory?Or is the problem one of terminology? If so I think that the attempt to create an occult orthodoxy or any standardized frame of reference would be doomed from the very start simply because of the sheer variety of faith, practice theory and interpretation involved.
The idea you mention is very tempting Venefica, very tempting indeed, but, purely out of curiosity, how would somebody go about even beginning such a task?Even an attempt to produce a definitive study of it would have to be mind boggling in its scope.
The enormous variety of disciplines, traditions and categories involved in the occult is indeed its strength but it is a hideous strength and has as many interpretations as there are practitioners, many of which operate with perfect ease in one or more fields that are often blatantly contradictory.For example, I am both a pagan and an occultist and can move with consumate ease between Judeo- Christian paradigms and pagan without missing a beat.You made a good point in saying "us okkultists have never been known to agree with one another very much"
True. The British author Terry Pratchet says in one of his books that plural of 'wizard' is 'war.'

I should have read the preceding posts,the idea is excellent. I have a whole bunch of projects that I've worked on through the years and the possibility of seeing my research in print is a definite temptation. My friends nag me to write it down, maybe I should give this guy a go.I've sought to discover new fields and if possible entirely new magics or discoveries about the occult. It might be just what I need to actually get the finger out and get working instead of just compiling a bloody great big compendium of ritual magics which is exactly what I've been doing.

Venefica, to simply state, without trying, that there is no such thing as a single path, one that we can research towards, is simply defeatist, and illustrates my point about my efforts to research in this direction is like urinating against the wind... And the point I was making in my post was that without common terminology, we are always risking propogating mistaken teachings (such as confusing spirit guides with thought-forms/egregores, a potentially *very* harmful mistake!)

Philoneus, you make several good points, and I agree with many of them. Science, funnily enough, accepts that everything is in a state of flux, but certain things *seem* immutable. It's important to mention that *seems*, because the world and the area we can see with telescopes and the like, our sample size, is vanishingly small compared to the rest of the universe (or multiverse, or whatever)

But I agree, and have noted to my personal pain in my researches, that Pratchett is right. I can also state, from my family's experience, that the same plural applies to Open Source coders...

I am a Chaote, I do not think there is any laws on magick save what we make ourself, and those laws to change when we change our opinion on them. As such I think it is impossible to find a true path or terminology or quantify how magick works, for I think how magick work changes with the individual practitioner. One could set up the laws of magick, the words and the Paradigm for one path, and it would be true for that path, but not for others. For example I do not believe in the so called three fold law, first of all the way Wiccans present it it is a mangling of older concepts, secondly I think that was introduced by Gardner into his system as a way to keep his followers in check. Now I will not be chained by a concept which I do not believe is true on grounds that it might possibly be true. That is like a slave which never test his bonds in fear they will hold him and so never stands up and claims freedom.

The idea you mention is very tempting Venefica, very tempting indeed, but, purely out of curiosity, how would somebody go about even beginning such a task?Even an attempt to produce a definitive study of it would have to be mind boggling in its scope.

I am not the one who want to start such a study, I am happy just studying magick for myself, applying what I find to me and me alone and letting others find their truths in turn.

The British author Terry Pratchet says in one of his books that plural of 'wizard' is 'war.'

Hehehe, yes there is something to that saying indeed.

Venefica, to simply state, without trying, that there is no such thing as a single path, one that we can research towards, is simply defeatist, and illustrates my point about my efforts to research in this direction is like urinating against the wind... And the point I was making in my post was that without common terminology, we are always risking propogating mistaken teachings (such as confusing spirit guides with thought-forms/egregores, a potentially *very* harmful mistake!)

Applying common sense will always seam like urinating against the wind to some. No my dear, saying that there is no single path is not defeatist, first of all, for me to be defeated by such a belief I would have to wish for there to be such a thing, I do not, secondly common sense when one look at all the paths that exist dictates there is no single truth. And in my experience pepole who is desperate for a single truth to trump as right is more concerned with being right than with the art of magick.

Also I do not think you have the one true knowledge of what a Spirit guide is. And boldly proclaiming that if pepole do not have the same opinions as yourself on a topic their beliefs are harmful and a mistake, that just show a mind to closed for magick and is the mark of a fool, nothing more. Now there will never be a terminology accepted by all occultists. Our research and work is to dear to each and every one of us and few will be willing to give up their terms, their concepts to someone who run around trying to form the truth tm, neither do it matter. If someone speaks of angels, helpers, some higher part of their own mind or Mikey Mouse when they say Spirit Guide is completely unimportant, what is important is that the concept they have chosen works for them. Remember, once something is quantified to much, then it is no longer and art, and magick needs to be and art.

"As far as theft of intellectual property here is the best method of protection. Print, sign, and date a hard copy of your manuscript. Place it in an envelope. Seal the envelope. Take said envelope to the post office and mail it to yourself via registered mail. " ---

this might have worked in the 80's but professionals no longer mail copies of manuscripts to themselves. the best way to protect a copyright is to put your ms. into a PDF file and register the copyright for 30$ with the US Copyright service [http://www.copyright.gov/] if you live in the USA. Without this proof of copyright it is difficult if not impossible to win a case in court if the copyright is contested. a mailed manuscript holds no weight against an actual copyright. the copyright is not a guarantee of protection but it does lend the creator certain rights.

If you only mailed yourself the manuscript and did not copyright it, yet you signed it all away in a contract, you just lost everything you created and it would be very easy for the publisher to copyright it themselves once it is in their hands, essentially cutting you out of the picture and out of the profits. If you tried to sue, the person who owned the copyright would win, simply because they registered the copyright in their name after you signed it away to them. Your mailed manuscript dosent mean a thing at that point because it would already be on record. it would be your error for handing it to them and trusting them and it would cost you in the end. In the world of music and book publishing, *some* publishers are notorious for trying to get away with as much as they can for as little effort and cost as possible.

They do anything they want to your manuscript once they own the full copyright, even for things that you did not agree to in the contract. they can legally get away with it because they registered the copyright, not you. you were the fool to sign it all over on a promise and a prayer instead of doing your research. you have nothing to back you up in a situation like that.

you would loose your reseller rights, reprinting rights and revenue, and additional revenue from side projects including products and advertising gleaned from that manuscript among other things.

Imagine loosing your copyright to a company that then exploits you and your book for a profit, and does not give you a dime from it, because they reg'd the copyright or convinced you that it was a good deal to sign. Then if you complain in public about it, to slam the people that ripped you off, you are silenced by the publisher with the threat of lawsuit.

Another thing to consider besides copyright is the royalty agreement. publishers make an agreement with the writer to either pay a flat rate upfront (least likely) an advance on royalties (less likely), or to pay in 6 month increments with a royalty check/payment (most likely). The publisher holds your money and you have to trust that they are accurately recording your sales.

Usually in this kind of contract, the author sells the copyright, it is in effect sold for the cost of the royalty. Most companies that take writer submissions who are legit have no problem with making it publicly known what their royalty rate is. this is because writing and publishing is a competitive field and it is a business as well. Check out the 'Writers Market' book that is published every year, so many pages it is as thick as a brick, with listings of book and magazine publishers, what they require in submissions, along with their royalty or payment rate.

making this information public is standard in the publishing industry nowadays. Its not an insider secret. Not making this known in advance is awfully shady and it begs the question of the publishers integrity and motives. It would certainly make me think twice about submission. Would you bid on a job if you had no idea how much you were going to get paid? I wouldn't.

The royalty standard is pretty basic. anything less than 10-15% royalty offered for first time author printing is questionable, in my view. Anything lower than this rate and you might as well be writing for peanuts.

it is for these reasons that i will never be published by a publishing house. im just not comfortable signing any of my copyrights away for any amount, it just isn't worth it. my market is small and direct and i dont need to go with a big name publisher (like llewellyn) who breeds their writers to write in a certain way to maintain a standard of quality for their publishing house. i would rather do my own thing and self publish.

I suggest to any upcoming writer to do their homework and read on writers and copyright law before they make a mistake and sign a contract that they are legally bound to. that way they will be educated on their options when it comes to publishing.

Writing is not an easy thing to do, and writers rarely get rich from their work. its estimated that only 11% or so of writers make a sizable amount from their royalties and that is because they produce books that make it to the new york times bestseller list or similar venues of high public exposure and consumer interest.

Please read this account of what a first time author is likely to be paid in the print market, for hardcover and also for paperback books, and what rights are typically sold to publishers by writers: (rebecca brandywine, http://www.brandewyne.com/writingtips/authorspaid.html )

Oh, it would be great if you could possibly tell us:

About your experience in the occult, how long you have studied, what are your current interests/practices

Also, tell us how your service will be of benefit to the authors that publish with you.

Tell us if you have published any writings yourself, or if you have assisted in publishing before.

Please also explain where will you market the book, to whom will these books be marketed to? do you have a marketing plan?

what about editing services, who performs this? are you working as the publisher and editor? Do you have credentials for performing a task like this or experience in editing? Editing is a time consuming task.

do you plan on having a website to promote your authors or are you depending on the authors to market themselves?

Just so you know, authors who have to market and advertise for themselves are better off working with a Print on Demand company and keeping the profits.

The author shouldn't have to do all of the advertising work if they are working under a royalty contract with a publishing company. The company handles the marketing and distribution because they have something to market, and that is how they make sales, and thats how the author gets paid.

the self published writer does these marketing and promotion steps by themselves. that is why some authors think that being published by a press is a convenience, because the advertising and publicity is handled by the print company and it is sometimes worth the cost of royalties to have the marketing, packaging, shipping, editing, business and sales end handled by the publishers.

If you are working on the premise that 'if you build it they will come' its a nice idea but rarely is anything in life is this easy. Publishing is so much more than just getting the book into print. you need a solid business plan along with a marketing plan to make things work in positive ways...provide an excellent service for your writers with a solid business plan and in time, your company will gain a great reputation for having the latest cutting edge occult books in print... like Immanion press for example. (I am published there under Brandy William's Women's Voices in Magic, in 2009) check it out:: http://www.immanion-press.com/

All I can say to this is please visit our site www.nephilimpress.com and every question will be answered on our FAQ page.
Enjoy
Nephilim Press

VenusSatanas wrote:"As far as theft of intellectual property here is the best method of protection. Print, sign, and date a hard copy of your manuscript. Place it in an envelope. Seal the envelope. Take said envelope to the post office and mail it to yourself via registered mail. " ---

this might have worked in the 80's but professionals no longer mail copies of manuscripts to themselves. the best way to protect a copyright is to put your ms. into a PDF file and register the copyright for 30$ with the US Copyright service [http://www.copyright.gov/] if you live in the USA. Without this proof of copyright it is difficult if not impossible to win a case in court if the copyright is contested. a mailed manuscript holds no weight against an actual copyright. the copyright is not a guarantee of protection but it does lend the creator certain rights.

Spot on. At least in the United States, you have the copyright to your work the instant it is written. However, you may not file a copyright infringement lawsuit unless the work has been registered with the Copyright Office. It isn't even a matter of questioning who owns the copyright, but whether or not you have legal standing to file a claim.

Mailing yourself a copy can prove you own the copyright to the work. Hooray! But it doesn't let you file a claim against someone who copies it.

And as the previous poster pointed out, registering your work is simple and painless.