I recently had the chance to chat with the owners of a newly opened publishing company.  So, without out further delay let’s hear from the owners of

Lyrical Press

Tell us a little about how Lyrical Press, Inc got started.
Renee: I’ve been in the publishing industry for roughly three years (as an author and cover artist). Frank and I felt we were ready to take the next step and open our own publishing house. Our goal has always been to provide authors with a safe home for their work and, as a general publisher, offer readers a wide variety of books.

Was it difficult to get the business up and running?
Renee: Most new businesses have an uphill climb. Given the current state of small press’ and the level of distrust authors have in them, it’s made things that much more difficult. Frank and I are fighters and we’ve already earned our authors’ trust and proved to readers we are putting out quality product.

Being married, do you find it difficult to balance the business and your home life?
Frank: Absolutely not. Renee and I have always been partners in everything and we’re best friends, so working together just came natural.

I love your logo! Did you design it yourselves?
Renee: No. The drawing is the work of a wonderful artist named Jocarra. She was kind enough to allow us use of it for our logo. The intertwined dragons represent Frank and me.

What is the most difficult aspect of running the business?
Renee: Balancing motherhood and work.

Frank: Thinking up a new marketing plan that’s not been done before.

Do you have any concerns with starting the business with the number of e-publishers that have recently shut their doors?
Renee: This is a yes and no answer. Yes, because, again, the current state of small press’ has cast a shadow over publishing in the romance community. No, because romance isn’t the only genre we publish. As far as we’ve seen, outside of the romance community the publishing industry hasn’t been tainted by the recent rash of closings of small press’.

What type of stories are you looking for?  Are you looking for certain word counts?
Renee: Our minimum word count is 30k. We’re actively seeking all genres except for poetry and young adult. Currently, however, we’re on a ghost hunt. We’d love a good old-fashioned gothic ghost story! We’re also looking for a great urban fantasy, something really dark and atmospheric. All titles over 70k go print, so we’re definitely looking for longer works.

Where and how do authors submit their work?
Frank: They submit directly to our Editor-In-Chief, Emma Wayne Porter at editor@lyricalpress.com. Our guidelines are listed here: http://www.lyricalpress.com/submissions.html.

You already have some great writers publishing with you. Did you draw some of your friends with you?
Renee: It was inevitable that a couple of my friends would offer their support for Lyrical by submitting to us. They understood they would have to go through the same submissions process all authors go through. Thankfully, my friends understood this and weren’t too upset if we had to reject them or offer them the Revise and Resubmit option. Some, though, we accepted since their writing happens to be exactly what we are looking for in a manuscript.

Do you take care of all aspects of the business…choosing the work, publishing the work, and operating and maintaining the website?
Frank: I handle the marketing and payroll, leaving the creative side of the business to Renee.

Renee: I maintain all the sites associated with Lyrical Press. I also designed all the cover art. There are about a zillion other things that need doing on a daily basis, which makes for having such a fantastic Editor-In-Chief, something Frank and I never take for granted.

Are you fully staffed at this time or are you looking for people?
Frank: We’re fully staffed. As we grow we’ll start looking for more editors and maybe a cover artist or two, although I think Renee will have a hard time giving up covers art. She really loves doing them.

I have visited your site and it is easy to maneuver through. Did you design it yourself or do you have a web designer?
Renee: Thank you! I designed all of Lyrical’s sites. However, we did have a friend set up the bookstore and for that, we’re eternally grateful. Now that it’s up and running I’ll maintain it.

How do you promote your site and your writers?
Frank: We’re going the traditional road (banner/cover ads on popular sites, having a presence on Yahoo Groups, promoting the business at future conferences, etc.). We’re also venturing outside the box and have ideas we’re working on that we’re keeping to ourselves for now!

What do you enjoy most about your new business?
Renee: Since this has been a dream of mine since I signed my first contract, I love just about every aspect of running a publishing house. From offering a new author their first contract to adding the final detail to one of our covers…I love it all. Well, almost all. Rejections are something no one likes to have to do and given how much love and effort authors put into their books, it’s horrible to know that not every book submitted can be accepted.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us? Is there anything important that I have forgotten to ask? You are my first publishing company interview.
Renee: You’d never know we were your ‘first’! All I’d like to add is that I truly appreciate the support of our readers, authors and staff. Also, thank you for allowing us to sit down with you. It’s been a pleasure.

Frank: Yes, thank you. It really was great to talk with you.