Publetariat Vault Frequently Asked Questions

Click on any of the questions below to jump right to that question in the FAQ. Click on (back to top) anywhere in the page to jump back to the top of the FAQ.

FAQ Categories:

General Questions
Publishing Pros & Content Producers
Creating Vault Listings
Listing Fees
Managing Existing Vault Listings

What is the Publetariat Vault?
The Publetariat Vault is a searchable database of independent literary works for which the authors own all rights free and clear and are interested in selling those rights, with accompanying sales data and reader reviews, to take the guesswork out of determining commercial potential in the mass market.

Though publishers and content producers (i.e., film, television, game and online content producers) know a successful indie (self-published) book is a proven quantity and therefore a low-risk acquisition option, these books don't come to their attention until after becoming breakout hits. By that time, numerous buyers are interested and it's much more difficult and expensive to acquire the rights.

The Publetariat Vault solves this problem by providing a searchable database of indie books available for acquisition. The Vault makes it easy to locate indie books based on detailed criteria and keywords, and simplifies the process of identifying the most promising candidates by providing not only standard catalog information, but actual sales data, a full synopsis, excerpt, and direct access to all of the following: customer reviews from multiple booksellers, reviews on reader community sites, author websites, author blogs, author social media profiles, publicity the author and book have received, and additional author writing samples---all on a single listing page. With this trove of data at their fingertips, publishers no longer need wonder if a given book will sell well or be well-received by readers, nor if the author will take an active role in helping to promote the book or produced content. (back to top)

What's Vault University?
Vault University is a companion site to the Vault, and all Vault members with published listings (whether paid or free promo listings) are also "enrolled" in the Vault University site at no charge. Vault U provides monthly lessons in two curricula: Publishing and Author Platform/Book Promotion. Vault members with published listings are entitled to free enrollment in the curriculum of their choice, but by default, are enrolled in the Author Platform/Book Promotion curriculum. Vault-listed authors can ask to have their Vault U enrollment shifted to the Publishing curriculum by sending an email request to vault@publetariat.com.

The Vault U site is also open to non-Vault members for enrollment on a fee basis. (back to top)

Who are the publishing pros and content producers who will be allowed to search the Vault's listings?
Anyone who is in a position to purchase some or all of the rights to a given indie book, who is in a position to make an offer of representation to authors, or who is in a position to offer wide media exposure to authors, may sign up for a search account. This includes publishing house acquisitions staff, independent or small imprint staff, literary agents, literary managers, film and television producers, game producers, online content providers, journalists, and other members of the media.

You can view a small sampling of registered Vault searchers here. (back to top)

Who can list a book in the Vault?
Self-published authors and authors with small, independent publishers are welcome to list their books in the Vault.

In the case of a self-published book from an author seeking a trade publisher for the book, the person creating the listing must own all rights to the book being listed free and clear, and must be seriously interested in acquiring a publishing contract for the book or otherwise selling its content rights. If such a book has multiple authors, the person creating the listing must have the agreement and consent of all other authors to create the listing, and must be empowered by all other authors act as primary contact for publishers wishing to pursue the listed book.

In the case of a book published by a small, independent press for which the author is seeking a larger publisher, or wishes to connect with producers, or is seeking literary representation only, the person creating the listing need not own all rights to the book being listed but must have the permission of any co-authors to list the book on the Vault.

Also note, outside of any free listing periods, Vault listings are carried on a fee basis, at a price of $10 per listing per month. Therefore, the person creating the listing must have a PayPal account, since all payment processing for Vault listings is handled through PayPal. (back to top)

I'm already a registered member of Publetariat; do I have to create a new account to use the Vault?
Yes; even though the Vault is a sub-domain of Publetariat, it is run as a completely separate, secured site. This is necessary for both security and administrative reasons. First, Vault listings and member profiles require the submission of some sensitive information authors and publishing pros will want kept private, so the Vault has much tighter security and content access restrictions than Publetariat. Secondly, while anyone can register for Publetariat membership under any username they like, membership in the Vault is restricted to authors, publishing pros and content producers, all of whom must register under their legal, business or pen names.

What's the benefit of the Vault to publishing pros and content producers?
The Publetariat Vault is a searchable database of independent literary works for which the authors own all rights free and clear and are interested in selling those rights, with accompanying sales data and reader reviews, to take the guesswork out of determining commercial potential in the mass market.

Publishing pros and content producers can search the Vault for indie books meeting their specific acquisitions criteria (e.g., based on genre, length, recommended reading level, keywords, etc.), and then determine which of those books seem most promising based on each book's listing data. Listings include not only standard catalog data, but sales figures, a full synopsis, an excerpt, access to reader reviews on bookseller and reader community sites, links to author platform pieces, and more. In other words, everything you could possibly want or need to know about the book and author(s).

Is there any cost for publishing pros or content producers to search Vault listings?
No. (back to top)

How do I sign up for Vault membership as a publishing pro or producer?
You must agree to the Vault's Terms of Use and register for a Vault account. Once your account is activated you will be able to search the listings. (back to top)

Now that I'm a member, how do I search the Vault's listings?
There are two ways to search the Vault's published listings after logging in: you can browse or search.

Click the Browse All Listings link in the top menu bar, displayed immediately beneath the site banner on every page, to display all published Vault listings in descending order by the date the listing was posted. You can re-sort the list by book title, type or date posted, and click on any book title to view its full listing.

Use the Search Listings link, displayed immediately to the right of the Browse All Listings link, to search the listings based on a large variety of flexible criteria. Your search will return a list of books exactly like the Browse All list, but its contents will be limited to books which met your search criteria. Again, you can re-sort the list by book title, type or date posted, and click on any book title to view its full listing. You can view a screen capture of the Search form here. (back to top)

What information about the book and author is provided in a Vault listings?
At the minimum, a listing will include Book Title, Author Name(s), Brief Description, Type (fiction, nonfiction, reference, poetry or art), Genre(s), Page Count (for print books), Word Count, Adult Content Yes/No/Not Applicable, Recommended Reading Level, Protagonist Gender (if applicable), protagonist age (if applicable), sales data, synopsis and excerpt. Authors also have the option to include a cover image and links to any or all of the following: the book's product pages on bookseller sites---where you can view reader reviews and current sales rank (where provided by the bookseller site)---, the book's pages on reader community sites---again, to let you see reader reviews---, other reviews of the book, author website(s), author blog(s), author social media profile(s), buzz and publicity about the book or author(s), and other writing sample(s).

You can view a sample of what a completed listing looks like here (allow a few moments for the screen capture to load, it's a large file). (back to top)

Can my entire department, imprint, business or agency share a single Vault account?
Yes, but anyone using the account at any time will be subject to compliance with the Vault's Terms of Use, so anyone who intends to use the account must read and agree to those terms. (back to top)

Will authors know when I've looked at their listings? Will they be able to contact me?
Every listing will display a 'hit counter' of publishing pro views to authors, but no specific information about the viewer will be shared with authors. Authors are advised that any publishing pro or content producer who's interested in their book will contact the author(s) directly, authors are never to contact publishing pros or content producers.

This policy enables authors to have some idea of their listing's effectiveness or popularity, but prevents unscrupulous authors from abusing the system by attempting to contact publishing pros and content providers who have not specifically expressed interest in their books. (back to top)

What should I do if I'd like to pursue a particular book or author listed in the Vault?
The name of the author who created each listing is provided at the bottom of the listing, in the form of a clickable link. Click the link to view the author's member profile, which includes contact information. (back to top)

Will Vault personnel be involved in my contacts and negotiations with authors?
No. Per the Vault's Terms of Use, authors are responsible for managing their own negotiations with publishers, including retaining an agent or attorney if desired. The Vault provides a listing service only, and has no stake in any contracts struck between authors and publishers who use the service. (back to top)

What's the process for listing a book in the Vault?
You must agree to the Vault's Terms of Use and register for a Vault account. Once your account is activated you will be able to create and save draft listings for as many of your books as you like, and take as long as you like to complete and polish your draft listing(s) free of charge. Just log back into the Vault, click on the My Account tab, click on a listing title to open it, and click on the listing's Edit tab to make any desired changes. In order to make a listing available for publisher/producer searches you must publish it. (back to top)

What's the difference between a draft Vault listing and a published Vault listing?
A draft Vault listing is only visible to the user who created it and Vault staff; it will not turn up in the results list of publishing pro/content producer searches until it is published. By default, every Vault listing is a draft listing when initially created, and no fees are charged for the listing until it is published. This system allows the user to take as much time as he or she needs to complete and polish a listing at no charge.

You must bookmark your draft listings so you can locate them again to publish. If you forget to do so, use the Contact Us form to ask a site administrator to locate the listing and send you the link---be sure to specify your book's title.

(back to top)

How do I publish my draft Vault listing?
When you're ready to publish, use the Contact Us form to request publication of your listing. Do not use the PayPal tab on your listing to publish the listing yourself!

Using the Contact Us form to request publication is the only way to bypass the PayPal payment system, and ensure your listing will be carried on the Vault site at no charge to you through June 30, 2010.

Can I list my ebook in the Vault, even if there's no print edition available?
Yes. (back to top)

Must my book have an ISBN in order to be listed in the Vault?
No. (back to top)

Can I list my audiobook, podcast book or podiobook in the Vault?
No. Publishers and producers are initially interested in print and ebook rights; they must be able to view a text version of your excerpt, and if they're interested in pursuing it, a text version of the full book. (back to top)

Can I list a book that's only sold through my website, not on any bookseller sites?
Yes, though your listing will lack bookseller customer reviews. Still, so long as you can link to numerous reviews on reader community sites, blogs or elsewhere online, it shouldn't be an issue. (back to top)

My book isn't available for sale in the United States. Can I still list it in the Vault?
Yes, so long as you live in one of the 190 countries for which PayPal can provide payment processing and you're interested in securing a U.S. publisher for the book or selling some or all of its content rights to a U.S. content producer. However, since most publishing pros and content producers searching the Vault will be U.S.-based and their primary language will be English, if the sites for which you'll be providing links in your Vault listing (e.g. booksellers, customer reviews, author website, etc.) aren't in English, they probably won't be of much use or interest to publishing pros and producers searching the Vault. (back to top)

Are there any minimum requirements in terms of sales, reviews, or author platform in order to list a book in the Vault?
No, but you're not likely to attract publisher attention if your listing is weak. While it's fraudulent to artificially inflate your book's listing with fake reviews or large author purchases of your own book---either of which is a violation of the Vault's Terms of use, will eventually be discovered and likely get you blackballed from further publisher consideration---, it's a good idea to hold off on publishing a Vault listing until you have enough sales, reviews and author platform content to make your book attractive to publishing pros and content producers. (back to top)

Is there a minimum required listing period?
No. The first 30 days is a free, trial period, and following the first 30 days all listings are renewable for 30 days at a time. (back to top)

What information do I need to provide in my Vault listing?
At the minimum, you must provide Book Title, Author Name(s), Cover Image, Brief Description, Type (fiction, nonfiction, reference, poetry or art), Genre(s), Page Count (for print books), Word Count, Adult Content Yes/No/Not Applicable, Recommended Reading Level, Protagonist Gender (if applicable), protagonist age (if applicable), sales data, synopsis and excerpt. You also have the option to include links to any or all of the following: your book's product pages on bookseller sites, your book's pages on reader community sites, other reviews of your book, author website(s), author blog(s), author social media profile(s), buzz and publicity about the book or author(s), other writing sample(s).

You can view a screen capture of the listing form here, or register for Vault membership (it's free) to view the real form. (back to top)

How much do published Vault listings cost?
At present, the Vault is offering free listings through June 30, 2010. Any Vault listings published prior to June 30, 2010 will be free of charge until Midnight, July 1, 2010 (PST). After that, the rate for published listings will return to the usual fee of US$10 per 30 days.

Beginning on July 1, 2010 all published listing fees will be processed through PayPal, and will be subject to the following terms:

1. All paid listings begin with a free, trial listing period of 30 days. No PayPal charges will be incurred during this first 30 days.

2. All payments are processed as recurring payments.

3. Vault listings automatically renew, and payment processing for listings automatically recurs, on the thirty-first day following the last payment date; however, you may delete your listing and cancel the recurring payment at any time, and you will be notified via email 7 days before any listing automatically renews. It is your responsibility to ensure such notification emails aren't routed to your SPAM folder by adding the vault@publetariat.com email address to your email address book.

4. A published listing must be deleted and the recurring payment cancelled at least three business days prior to the end of any paid 30-day period to ensure the cancellation of automatic payment processing for the following period.

5. The 30-day listing fee is a flat fee, you will not receive a refund for any time remaining in the 30-day period during which you delete your listing and cancel payment processing.

6. Abuse of the initial free, 30-day trial period---deleting and then immediately re-publishing a listing prior to the end of the initial free, 30-day trial period in order to avoid payment for a published listing beyond the initial 30 days---is a violation of the Publetariat Vault's Terms of Use and will result in suspension of your Vault account and deletion of all your listings with no refund.

You are responsible for verifying the recurring payment for your Vault listing is cancelled following deletion of that listing. You can verify the recurring payment has been cancelled by logging in to your PayPal account, clicking on the Profile tab, and accessing the Recurring Payments link in the Financial Information column. If the recurring payment is still listed there, you can select it from the list and click "cancel" in its detail page. Also check the Pay List link in the Financial Information column, as recurring payment items may sometimes be listed there. You can view PayPal's help topic on cancelling automatic and recurring payments here.

Why are all paid listings set up for automatic renewal every 30 days? Isn't this a trick to keep getting money from customers who forget to cancel?

Paid listings are set up for automatic renewal because the listing period is short (30 days) and the payment amount is small ($10 per listing period). Manual renewals would require site staff to track the expiration date of every listing, email each individual author to see if he or she wants to renew, and manually process each renewal or cancellation. The Vault would need to hire additional staff to do all of that work, and the end result would be a higher listing fee.

While some companies certainly do abuse the automatic renewal/recurring payment system, usually by making it very difficult to cancel, this is not the Vault's intent. The ongoing health of the Vault depends on maintaining members' trust, and we want our users to be happy with the services we provide. To that end, members with paid listings will receive a notification email from the Vault 7 days before any listing renews automatically, and that email includes directions for how to delete the listing and cancel recurring payments for the listing. (back to top)

Why do you charge authors to create Vault listings, but allow publishing pros and content producers to search the listings for free?
The more publishing pros and content producers are searching the Vault at any given time, the more likely it is that one of them will discover and acquire your book. In order to maximize publishing pro and content producer participation, the Vault must be easy and free for them to use. However, since there are hosting, software and staffing expenses involved in setting up and maintaining the Vault, we charge authors a nominal fee for listings. (back to top)

Why do I have to have a PayPal account to pay for Vault listings?
PayPal is the Vault's chosen payment processor for many reasons. First, PayPal is an established and trusted site for secure payment processing. Second, PayPal accepts payments in international currencies from 190 countries around the world, and will automatically convert those currencies to US dollars at no extra cost to you. Third, using PayPal allows you to pay for Vault listings without revealing any of your financial information or account numbers to the Vault site or its staff. Finally, there's no charge to create a PayPal account, nor to send money or payments through PayPal. (back to top)

Is there any sort of vetting or ranking process, to raise the visibility of the best listings?
No. While the gatekeeper system of manuscript acquisition is based on levels and layers of vetting, this is only because it's impossible for publishers to know for certain which manuscripts will ultimately prove to be commercially successful books following publication. They depend on the vetting process to provide them with an educated guess about the commercial prospects of a given manuscript, thereby reducing their risk. Since indie books are already published, already selling and already gathering reader reviews, there's no need for publishing pros or content producers to rely on educated guesses---they can see for themselves if a given book IS successful. (back to top)

What level of sales, or quantity of positive reviews, is high enough to impress publishing pros and content producers?
There's no set number, it depends on the individual pro/producer and other qualities of the book and author(s). While a book that only moves a handful of copies each month doesn't look very promising on that basis alone, very positive, high-profile reviews or buzz can convince publishers to take a closer look. Conversely, a book that has few reviews, but consistently sells hundreds of copies every month is also worth further consideration.

Publishing pros and producers realize indie books are at a disadvantage to mainstream books in terms of publicity and media coverage, and remember: the whole point of the Vault is to help publishers find promising books before those books become breakout hits. If your book is already selling thousands of copies a month and getting lots of high-profile, positive reviews, you're probably already on pros' radar and don't need a Vault listing. (back to top)

Can I change my listing after it's published?
Yes. Just log back into the Vault, click on the My Account link, click on a listing title to open it, and click on the listing's Edit tab to make any desired changes. Note that once saved, your changes will immediately be visible in your listing. (back to top)

Can I change a published listing back to a draft listing?
No. Once your listing is published it remains a published listing until you delete it. (back to top)

How do I cancel a listing?
Log in to the Vault and click on the My Account link in the upper left-hand column of the site. Your current, paid listings are shown in your profile. You can delete a published listing there by clicking on its title, then clicking on the Edit tab of the listing page, scrolling all the way down to the bottom and clicking the 'Delete' button; be sure to confirm the deletion on the confirmation page that will display after you click the 'Delete' button. After deleting the listing on the Vault site, login to your PayPal account, click on Profile and then check both the Recurring Payments and Pay List links (as of this writing, they're both in the Financial Information area of your PayPal profile) to ensure the renewal has been cancelled on PayPal's end as well. Your Vault member account will remain active, allowing you to create new listings in the future, if desired. (back to top)

How will I know if publishing pros and content producers are looking at my listing?
At the bottom of each listing, there's a "read" counter. This counter has been configured to display a count of how many times the listing has been viewed by publishing pro and content producer Vault members only. Views by author members and Vault staff are excluded from the count.

To see how many views your listing has had at any time during the paid listing period, log in to the Vault and click the My Account link at the upper-left on any page of the site. Your published listings are displayed in the PayPal Paid Adverts section; click on the title of the listing to view it, and look for the "reads" counter at the bottom of the page.(back to top)

Will I know which publishing pros or content producers have viewed my listing?
No. There's no need for you to know which pro members have viewed your listing, since any who are interested in pursuing your book will contact you. Allowing authors to know which pro members have viewed their listings opens the door to abuse, since unscrupulous authors might use that information in a misleading way for promotional purposes, or might try to contact the pro directly even when the pro has not elected to pursue the author's book. (back to top)

Why can't authors search the Vault's listings?
Vault listings aim to provide publishing pros and content producers with ALL relevant information about each book and author. The information authors are asked to provide about themselves and their books includes some items authors wouldn't want to share with other authors or the general public. (back to top)

How can publishing pros or content producers contact me if they're interested in my book?
You will be asked to provide contact information in your member profile. You also have the option to enable private messaging via a contact form in your member profile. (back to top)

What happens if I get an offer from a publishing pro or content producer?
First, you will want to do some due diligence on the person or company making the offer. If you decide to proceed, per the Vault's Terms of Use, you (and your co-authors, if applicable) are responsible for managing your own negotiations with pros and producers, including retaining your own agent or attorney if desired. Peter Cox of Redhammer Management, which represents a number of bestselling authors, has offered his services for any Vault authors who need a reputable agent to assist in negotiations; if you'd like to be put in touch with Peter, please use the Contact Us form (link in menu bar at top of every page on the Vault site) to request an introduction. Note that the Vault provides a listing service only, and has no stake in any contracts struck between authors and pros/producers who use the service. If you ultimately elect to enter into a contract with a publishing pro or content producer, you must notify the Vault via the Contact Us form, and you are responsible for deleting the book's published listing. (back to top)

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